Those Who Beat The Flames (IC) (Closed)

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Nimbeon

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The shadowed woodlands of Nosiris were once peaceful as assassins, thieves and criminals respected the sacred lands, thought to be the home of the goddess Ryfia, as their mutual resting grounds. It was a place where grudges and rivalries were forgotten, even amongst the most brutal of foes. But that changed when the prince of Ithiel was nearly assassinated. The king pushed for answers from those who lingered in the forests, but no one would be the first to speak. Slowly, their population thinned as more and more "villains" were sent to their deaths for not being loose of tongue and tensions grew high.

Then the ultimate attack from the king shattered what lingered of their neutrality. The woodlands were set aflame by the royal army, burned down to ashes and soot. The common folk that lingered in the area died a painful death and throughout five years many of the criminals that escaped migrated north to the Edholler Mountains. The king tightened security and gave up his manhunt. They weren't followed, but the bitterness of losing the closest thing to a home that many of them would ever have started something horrid, a battle that painted the highlands overlooking the kingdom a bloody red.

Years later, suspicion of who the "despicable" one was still runs wild. No one is truly safe.
 
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Within one of the many deep caves and crevices in the Edholler Moutains, a young woman stirred from slumber. The fire she had lit up many hours ago died out and left her temporary home cold and insufferable. She rose with a grunt, her hand automatically reaching for the blackwood bow that sat near her at all times. It was her protection, her specialty and, pathetic as it may have sounded, her best friend. With a stretch and a satisfied groan, she rose from the ground and rubbed her back; the ground wasn't particularly comfortable, but she would never risk renting a room in town and being targeted by someone who may have thought her to be the "despicable" one.

Things had gotten rough in recent years, but she made it through five of them and she would make it through many more.

Small rays of light peeked through the opening of the cave and she considered going into the capital to swipe some cash from unsuspecting folk. It had been too long since she had a proper meal in a nice restaurant and no one would suspect a pretty young face to be one of the riff raff that hid in the mountains. It would take a while to reach Ithiel, but she moved out of the cave and through the terrain, wary of suspicious movement. No one was going to take her head off today.
 
While the young woman stirred in her cave, Thaniel slumbered not twenty feet above her. The wood elf had had a long day, and when he had climbed up the tree to find a suitable place to sleep, he hadn't checked to see if anyone was in the nearby cave system. He had fallen asleep lying face down on the branch, and when he awoke, he had an imprint of the bark on his cheeks.

Dazedly, he had sat up, blearily rubbing his eyes. Then, he heard a noise beneath him, and looked down. He smiled to himself, deciding that he deserved a break. And, perhaps this woman had something valuable on her.

Climbing down the tree, he waited until she was just out of sight before following her, fingering the dagger strapped to his hip.

"Hey," he called, catching up to her. "This is my forest."
 
Without thinking, her teeth dug into her lower lip to suppress her desire to suck her teeth. It was far too early in the morning for a struggle and she made a promise to herself to not spill any blood in this terrain unless it was absolutely necessary. One of her pale hands was still holding tightly onto the bow she had awoken with and she pondered whether a threat via the tip of an arrow would be enough to get the strangers off her case. Should she risk it?

'Calmly Xenia. Nice and calm.' she thought, as she turned around and let her hazel eyes fall on her pursuer. Wood elf. 'Crap.' She couldn't fight even if she wanted too. A petty criminal no one would notice gone, but him? She wouldn't take any chances.

"I..." her voice quivered and inwardly Xenia cheered for her quick thinking and meek voice. "I apologize... My mother, s-she sent me up here to retrieve some herbs. Just medicinal. N-nothing precious. I promise."

Her sweet face did wonders for her routine, one she used on thugs and nobles alike to weasel her way around. Xenia couldn't help let her eyes fall on the dagger at his hip and then the imprint on his cheek. Probably just some amateur looking to scare her... probably.
 
Thaniel's eyes narrowed as he heard the woman's explanation for being in his forest. He wasn't sure he believed it yet, and asked, "What herbs?" He reached up and brushed back his dark brown hair. While it was true that the forest was his, he rarely occupied it, and didn't enforce its rules most of the time. Still, he was there now. And this woman looked too well-off for his liking.

"What other weapons do you have on you?" he asked, frowning
 
Xenia pulled a leather pouch that was wrapped in one of the loops of her trousers free. It wasn't entirely a lie, she did collect herbs before she took shelter in the cave for safety measures on the trip back.

"Boneset. For my mother's migraines," she responded quickly as she loosened the tie on it. "Chokecherry and Chlorella for my blood pressure."

Again, not entirely a lie. She did need the herb for her own headaches and the others for the occasional injury she sustain while traversing between the city and the wild. She couldn't help the way her lips stretched into a thin, unamused line. No one was coming near her bow, no matter the dangers of fighting for it. The pricking feeling of the arrows concealed beneath her clothing stung a little more than usual.

"Just my father's bow. No more ammunition. Nothing else." Well, two out of three truths wasn't bad.
 
Shena and her mule moved slowly and quietly through the forest. There were dirt roads, but she never used them. She wanted to see more. Despite the intensity of the flames five years ago, the biggest of the trees had recovered, and fuzzy green moss covered the thick trunks of the fallen ones. There were saplings too, of various sizes, budding profusely alongside wildflowers in the sun-drenched clearings which would have been once swallowed shadow.

She did this every few days, leaving at sunrise, when dew still kissed the tips of the grass. She'd done so ever since the flames had first died down, but back then she was littler and more fragile, and the visits were only once every few months. She'd been accompanied as well, back then, by at least one person that could be trusted to repel the occasional highwaymen. In her childish caring, she had brought a tiny sapling every time, but she'd stopped when she realised that the forest didn't need her help to rebuild itself. Now she just enjoyed the sights; and the people that she could occasionally meet. She loved this forest. She felt as if she had watched it grow up; rise from the ashes.

It was last year when she first made the trip alone, with the skill and confidence to defend herself. Every day, she had gone deeper. One day, she wanted to make it to the mountains, but she'd have to learn to camp. And what if a highwayman, or a particularly defensive wood elf, struck while asleep? It was a daunting question. She tried not to dwell on it yet. For now, she would just turn back at high noon. Half the time, she made it to the city in time for afternoon tea.

But now it was still morning, and there was much to discover. As always, she cautiously sought people. She trusted the forest to be peaceful. After all, so little people visited it these days that robbers were rare. More frequently, she would find hunters. Some of them sought rabbits and pheasants. Others, more fanatically loyal to the crown, still sought justice; those men and women that had been enraged when the king put down his sword in favour of a shield. She admired their love for the monarch (and who wouldn't? They were all lucky to have such kindness from their rulers), but when they bid her farewell, she would shake her head at their naivety. They were fools playing heroes. They didn't know what they were doing.


Is there an OOC thread for this RP? I can't seem to find it. Anyway; I don't mind waiting for my character to be acknowledged. Don't stop your conversation prematurely for me. :) Notice whenever convenient.
 
Thaniel still didn't trust the woman, and approached her as she stated that she had only the bow. "Give it here, then," he said, gesturing for the bow. "I won't take it. I just want to examine it. Also, why would a young lady just looking for herbs carry a bow with no arrows? Your story doesn't match up, my lady.

"Tell me the truth, my lady. Or else we will have a problem." As if to illustrate this, the trees and bushes seemed to come closer, responding to Thaniel's emotions.
 
Xenia continued to school her features, although the pain of shielding her growing aggravation was greater than the pricking sensation that coursed through her body. It was then that she wondered just what were the odds of luck being against her. Would it really be such a horrid plan to let the arrow that grazed her covered arm slip into the string of her bow? She was a good shot, one arrow was all she would need. And yet, her mouth continued to move.

"Some nasty old men tried to bother me on my way out of town." She answered curtly, unable to help the possessive hold on her weapon.

It was one of the very few thing she held dear and even if he meant no ill intent she would not let him have it. Xenia hadn't even realized that she had slowly been stepping back, evading his reach. Her ruse wasn't going to work, that much was clear; she was tired of clamoring for excuses. She was just as much of an assassin as anyone else who walked these lands, damn it! She wouldn't be treated like some feeble court lady.

"And I shot some arrows clean through their necks."

The forest suddenly felt too close, making her claustrophobic as the arrow slipped from her sleeve and into the string of her bow. It gave a satisfying, familiar noise and she aimed clearly, but didn't fire.

"I'm going to leave quietly and you are not going to follow me." she spoke in little above a whisper. "Human or not, poisons are not fun to deal with."

With a movement of fingers, the arrow launched landing centimeters away from his feet, but from the moment the arrow took flight she took speed down; leaping, running and dodging to the safety of the dirt roads that would lead her back into town.
 
Something drew Shena from the corner of her eye; something made her turn. There was nothing, though. Just green. She forgot about it quickly. Probably just a squirrel, she thought.

In any case, she had stumbled across one of the dirt roads. This one wasn't a very good one. All sorts of things made roads here, and thus some were less used and less stamped down than others. Her mule, which she was only barely guiding, preferred it over the lumpy young undergrowth though, and turned to amble along it. Shena just smiled and scratched its neck gently.

Despite the path, the wood seemed to be thicker here, almost as if old the fire had gotten bored, and only skimmed the area. Some of the trees had fallen, but what remained was lush and green and plentiful. She considered turning back - after all, how was one to see other people in such thickness? - but curiosity drew her onwards. This part of the forest was unfamiliar and different, and she wanted to see more.

The mule heard it before she did, but she'd learned to trust the instincts of animals. As soon as its head was raised, and its ears perked, she took hold of the bow that lay on her lap and nocked an arrow onto it. Just in case.
 
Olina peeked her head around a tree, watching as the girl turned and ran off after shooting an arrow at the wood elf's foot. She tried hiding a laugh with her hand, knowing she was just as much of an intruder as the lady was. Holding her breath, Olina put a strand of pure white hair behind her ear nervously. Her eyes caught the dagger at the boy's hip and she suddenly didn't feel very safe. Just in case he tried to attack, Olina had one diamond dagger on each hip. Looking back out at the boy, she also looked where the girl ran, back into town. Olina scrunched her nose in distaste at the town. The people there were always mean to her, mocking her pearly light skin. Since she was a Moon Elf, she was born like that. Light, pearl colored skin, and hair as white as snow.

Just in case anybody tried to attack, Olina loosened the dragon leather sheaths that held her daggers. Slowly, she hid behind the tree, not daring to make any noise.
 
Vallus's legs clanked in the heavy, white-steel armour that embedded his legs and surrounded his chest in a fine chestplate; a symbol of two pale white clouds and a golden sun peeking behind them shining on his chestplate. In his hands, a large, long-bladed sword which the metal glinted brilliantly in the sun, made of titanium steel plated with a rich, white-gold coating which allowed the blue skies to reflect from the blade. Beneath a full head helmet, dotted with a few slits to see from, was a human male with sky blue eyes, and long platinum braided hair; none of which was visible under the helmet he wore.

Vallus was pursuing a murderer of the town. The murderer had killed his wife with a knife, and had thought he was able to get away with it. Although Vallus didn't know the man's intentions, he had spotted the murder whilst surveying the alleyways, and the murderer had ran with the cold blood on his hands, running in the direction of the thick forests.

"Don't resist, criminal scourge! Prepare to be purified, in the name of Atmos!" A mighty, powerful voice says that came muffled under Vallus' helmet, but the murderer was outpacing him easily due to the heavy armour Vallus wore. Although Vallus had been keeping chase for a while now, he was losing stamina, and although the murderer was quite chubby, he was still wearing casual clothing which gave him an easy advantage over Vallus in the chase.

Before Vallus knew it, he was persuing the murderer off the dirt paths, and into thick vegetation. The forests were so green and foilage-covered that Vallus had already lost sight of the agile murderer, but he kept chasing, panting heavy breaths as he stepped over the average bush and slashed through vines. All for nothing, however, as he couldn't even hear the footsteps of the murderer anymore, and he fell to one knee, panting heavily and placing his sword in the ground, staring at the grass below his feet defeatedly.
"A-Atmos... I have failed you... haah... haah..." Vallus gasps inbetween breathless recovery.

Little did he know of the people around him at the current moment.
 
As the girl ran away, Thaniel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He extended his consciousness through the trees, feeling where she was as she ran towards the city.

Glad that she was at least gone, he focused on an elven presence just behind a nearby tree. He began stepping towards her, slowly drawing his dagger. Then, just a little ways off, he heard what sounded like a walking war marchine. Frowning, he turned before running towards the noise.

He hid in the bushes when he came upon the man, frowning. When he determined that he was too exhausted to fight him, Thaniel stepped out of the bushes. "This is my forest. Get out," he said sternly, already drawing his dagger.
 
Vallus pants on one knee, and looks up, staring at the man drawing a dagger on him through slits on his white-steel helmet. Taking breaths, Vallus shakily stands on to one foot, and brings up the shining sword; a reflection of foilage appearing on it as the sky was mostly blotted out by the green leaves of the forest. Vallus was in a combat disadvantage without the sky beaming down to join his side, and the might of Atmos would not be beside him as much. But if he could somehow beat the challenger in his conditions, Atmos would be pleased. And honour would be given onto him.

He takes a small jump back, pointing the fine sword at the dagger drawing man. Although he was still exhausted, he had enough strength left to draw his sword - just not to run.
"Or what else, scourge? You dare try to displace the servant of the might of Atmos herself? I am here to bring justice onto the evil murderer, Jonto. Alas, I have failed... but I will continue to look for the murdering scum once I have my strength back. You dare stand in my way, cur?" Vallus threatens inbetween large breaths, readying himself into a weak but still usable fighting stance. His face wasn't visible under the helmet, but his eyes were alert and ready, and his teeth were bared and ready for combat if need be. He wasn't a single piece bit intimidated by the man, and his eyes were darting behind the slits of the helmet for any combat advantages he could put to use. He could see a spot where the leaves overhead were open in a circle, leading to the sky above, which he could use. But for now, he would try to solve things without combat.
"Step aside, woodsman. I shall stay here as long as it takes to find the evil that lurks within."
 
Olina gasped as she saw the wood elf start moving towards her, putting a hand on his dagger. Then, the loud tromping noises, she saw, caught the attention of the boy and made him turn his attention elsewhere. Despite the danger that could await her, Olina's curiosity was stronger than common sense, so she followed the wood elf quietly in the shadows of the trees. Peeking around the trunk of a giant oak, she saw an interesting sight. A tall human, clad in armor, bearing a fine sword, against a wood elf with his dagger.

Olina bit her lip, unsure how it would turn out, seeing as the human was already weak and tired. The elf, on the other hand, was perfectly fine. Olina listened intensely as the human called for the wood elf to move. She wondered if the wood elf would really move, considering it was his wood. Crouching slightly, Olina pulled her dark hood over her white hair, to conceal it in the shadows. Gazing on what as happening before her, she slowly and silently pulled her diamond daggers from their dragon leather sheaths. She made sure not to make any noise, knowing if she would make a sound, both the human and wood elf might turn on her. Going into a full crouching defense stance, Olina held her daggers readily, keeping her dark gray eyes on the scene.
 
Never before had Xenia felt such a horrid burning in her lungs, a fire coursed through her that powered her toned legs. As she dashed along, her boots stomped on leaves and twigs alike making them snap and crunch beneath her weight. There was no chance of her stopping now, not with the flares she was setting off that there was an intruder in this neck of the forest. As long as there was vegetation that surrounded her, there was no such thing as safety, but the closer she got to civilization the better. One, nearly fatal, encounter was enough for the day, or the week, or the month.

A soft smile pulled on her lips as she made it onto one of the many dirt roads, but it fell almost instantly. It was barely touched; a forgotten pathway that lead into the mountains. That damned fire years ago scared off more than just the criminal that lingered in the woods and it's peaceful inhabitants. No one made their way through the forest or up the mountain anymore, not without a mission. Or a death wish.

Losing herself in thought caused her to lose her stable breathing and a heavy pressure pushed upon her chest, screaming at her limbs to stop. And they did. Xenia sunk the heels of her boots deep into the ground, feeling the tremors that traveled up them as she took a deep gasping breath of air. Her throat grew dry and raw making her cough as her frantic heart calmed.

She forced her taut legs to continue on, slipping an arrow from the underside of her arm into her hand and fingering it's tip. Wondering if the wood elf saw through her bluff of poisons, Xenia nocked the arrow in place, but at the sound of hooves, she froze. Someone approached.
 
Her mule had slowed down, and it was sniffing about now. Shena was glad for the warning, for by the time she saw the figure, she had the bow drawn and ready. But the figure that was crouched in the undergrowth (Shena wouldn't have even noticed her if not for the diligence of that dear rented mule; and a subtle cough), seemed just as startled. She too, was armed, and given where they were and the kinds of people that were known to lurk in the shadows of the place, Shena wouldn't be surprised if she was willing to kill. Slowly, she lowered her own weapon, hoping to pacify the stranger.

"Please don't shoot," she said carefully. "My introductions are usually friendlier. The bow is just a precaution, that's all."

As if to prove her intentions, she pulled the arrow from the bowstring and slid it back into the quiver sitting in one of the mule's saddlebags. There was only a very slight trembling in her hands.

She hoped she wouldn't end up with an arrow in her chest. There was a shortsword on her belt, but it wouldn't be much help if that happened.
 
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Xenia peered at the girl with distrust, why in all of the gods' names would she be travelling through here? Her hold on her shot didn't falter, it could simply be a trap. The girl may have looked innocent, but Xenia out of all people knew how easily that could be feigned to one's advantage. Then again, the stranger could have simply fired the second she saw her. She wasn't dim, she knew that she had no chance of hitting the stranger first if their encounter had immediately turned violent. When the girl put down her bow, Xenia's arms began to droop in submission.

"What are you doing here?" she inquired, watching as the girl put her arrow away and deeming the environment safe enough to not be on the offensive. "This isn't exactly a safe place for exploration. There are murderers and criminals just a few hundred yards ahead."

Sure, it wasn't entirely true, but it could be. The brush only grew thicker from behind where she stood and if it was such a journey to run through it for her, who regularly trained herself on stamina, she couldn't imagine how it would be for others and what exactly she could have dashed right by.

"Not to mention a very aggravated wood elf." Her eyes shifted between the trees and she wondered for how much farther he would be able to sense her presence intruding in his land.
 
Skipping along the forest a small dark sorceress was passing by as the bell from her hat jingle softly. Looking around she saw a man running for his life as he stopped to rest. Laughing she decided to play with him a little bit.

The man pants as he looked around looking at his bloody knife he sighed as he closed his eyes. "Hellow!" The girl chimed as the man tripped infront as he turned face at her surprised. "W-who are you! D-dont m-make me kill you b-brat" the man stutterd as he point his knife at the girl.

Looking at the knife expressionless she suddenly laughed loud as if the whole forest could hear her "Haaaa~ Did you think that your little bloody knife can kill someone? Aww how unfortunate of you to kill someone" The girl spoke mock and venom laced through her words as she speaks.

"How about we do the other way around hm?" The girl grinned wickedly as she summons her chains around him capturing him before pointing a sharp knife on his head. "W-what?! Please I beg of you! Let me go!! " The man screamed as he begged her to let him escape. "Wha? Let go? Of someone as fat as you??" The girl mocked him as she swings the floating knife around. "Well... I .DONT.THINK. SO." The little girl said wickedly as she tightens the chains around the murderer as he screamed..
 
Shena let out a soft exhale of relief when the stranger put down her weapon. It was easier now to just talk, without the tension of bowstrings pulling at the muscles of the arms, and the space between safety and harm.

"Really?" Shena murmured. "I've been visiting the forest for years; making acquaintances here. Well, since after the fire. No blood has spilled around me since... well perhaps last year." She smiled. "I would have hated to reset that count today."

Her eyes were then drawn upwards, to where the path continued. Everything was obscured by thick branches and twisting vines, thicker than anywhere she'd ever been before. Where there was previously only a potent curiosity, the stranger's words began to prick holes of fear. "I've never been this deep before," she admitted. "Is it worse this far in? Did the serenity of the forest fare worse than the trees did? I hear it used to be perfect." She paused for a moment. "Am I being naive?"
 
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