Leafblade & Freelight: The Barracks

[Larry_OHF]

OOC>>>I was thinking of a character that might fit into this section of the game and realized that it might be time to bring back an old favorite. Mistral, with permission I could bring in Rymoth del’Arboleda...you may better remember him simply as Raymond...a hero were-panther from a long time ago. If not, then that is okay...and I will find a way to bring Jared the farmer back into activity. I could also play Lord Gerald for you if you wish. Let me know.

[mistral4543]

Robyn could only stand gaping as she found herself hauled to safety by the youth who had brushed into her path moments ago, dumped aside and suddenly witnessing another young maiden's taming of the ferocious bear.

They had saved her, both of them, and she owed her life to them. Almost unreasonably, a wave of miffed humiliation washed over her and the hand that gripped her longbow shook with agitation. I am of no use here in this forest. Bitterly, she turned aside but it would not do; common courtesy demanded her thanks.

Grimly, she walked forward towards the couple, the light in her green eyes flickering animatedly.

"My thanks to you both, and I will return your favour any time, any day." Stiff was her voice, which softened when she noticed the trails of blood streaming from his wounds. Quickly, she closed her eyes and muttered the incantations of a cure wounds spell and rested her hand upon his chest. Moments later, the bleeding had stopped and most of the colour had returned to his pale face.

"What were you both doing in the forest anyway, and what do you intend to do now?" She drew herself up a little. "I am Lord Gerald's daughter, and can offer you what aid you need, to achieve your goals." For she had not met this valiant soldier the night before, sulking that her father chose to rely on a stranger's aid than his own daughter's skills to save the city.

[mistral4543]

OOC: Larry, you're most welcome to play Lord Gerald. And Raymond can certainly join us if he assumes his were-panther form when he first enters the forest. I can't guarantee for his safety if he strolls in there in human form [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[mistral4543]

As the cheetah completed the last leg of its tireless leaps, she swung herself off its back with an agility unusual for one of her age. Then, stepping forward towards the entrance, she hissed slowly.

"I am come, my... friend." The last word came out somewhat distastefully. This concession she had granted so readily decades ago had begun to grate on her nerves of late, not because the wizard had posed a nuisance to her friends and land; rather, it was forever a sign of her weakness, that she owed him this debt where she could not save those she held so dearly to her heart. And so, with distrusting blue eyes, she peered into the room where she perceived a figure lying down. Was it him?

Cautiously, she made her way into the hut, noting with satisfaction that the figure did not shift, neither did its upper torso heave up and down as a living human would. Was he finally dead? Was she finally free of this shameful oath?

A triumphant cry escaped her lips as she gazed upon his lifeless grey-blue eyes. At last, I am free! She raised her wrinkled hands into the air and closed her eyes, inhaling the air of death with a feverish delight. No longer do I pander to your whims! Glancing down at the corpse, she noted the contented smile on its face, as well as the almost-empty bottle of spirits lying forlornly on the bed. Then, as an afterthought, she reached out and slowly drew her hand across the dead man's face, so that his eyelids were now closed.

Be at peace... friend. Oddly, her heart was wavering now that no promise bound her. After all, the daughter had not harmed any of the creatures and they seemed not to mind her presence. Perhaps she could make another concession, this time of her own choosing...

Suddenly, a crow squawked its latest grievances by the window, wailing and bemoaning its tale of betrayal. And now, the blue eyes of the septuagenarian froze with an icy inferno.

So... you choose to attack Ebony, rather than to mind your own business. Her frame trembled with a terrible wrath. You have sealed your fate, Esaha, and the further you stay away, the better it will be... but don't imagine that you will be able to escape my spies.

Her eyebrows raised as she received the next piece of news. And that young man, whom I trusted, he follows you... She licked her lips menacingly. That saves me the trouble then, of hunting down the both of you separately.

Then, abruptly, she stormed out of the hut, her stentorian voice sending off her instructions loudly into the woods...

[Deiter Leafblade]

Amazed, Rehan looked down at his wound to find the gashes sealed up with just the scars remaining. He had only witnessed healing magic once before, mostly due to his old Captain believing in modern medicine to mend injuries. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and smiled faintly when he felt no pain. Removing his arm from around the girl's shoulder now that he felt able to walk on his own, his gaze went to the person who had cured him.

"I'm Rehan, your father sent me on a mission to take care of the danger within the forest." His hands reached up to idly start tearing off the ripped shreds of armor where the bear had slashed through. Giving up at the attempt, he glanced over at the other young woman. "I'm embarrassed to say, but I don't know her name to give you, nor do I know yours." Facing the two, he placed his hands out in each of their direction, palm upward. "I do owe both of you my life. If I can be of any aid as well, please let me know."

Pulling at his armor again, he attempted to take off the chest piece only to find the clasps tangled from the bear's attack. "I don't mean to sound brash, but could one of you help me take this off? I rather not walk into town with torn up bloody armor. Probably not a good idea to make a scene of doubt to the people." He continued to pull at it until he became frustrated and looked at them embarrassed.

[ 07-20-2006, 11:31 PM: Message edited by: Deiter Leafblade ]

[dplax]

Moving slowly and carefully, so as not to hurt Rehan, Esaha started disentangling the stuck pieces of armor.

"My name is Esaha," she softly said, as she undid a bloody strap. Should I tell him the rest? she wondered, but decided against it, not fancying to see Rehan's reactions when he learned that Esaha had lived the last twelve years of her life in the forest.

She finally managed to undo the clasp which had been holding the armor stuck to Rehan. Torn pieces of armor clattered to the ground.

"I think we should leave the forest while we can. Feathered spies will surely have already reported back to her." The sense of urgency in Esaha's voice was unescapable. "I don't fancy meeting any more animals in this forest. I'm pretty sure we've outlived any welcome we might get."

[ 07-22-2006, 07:56 PM: Message edited by: dplax ]

[Deiter Leafblade]

Stretching and rolling his shoulders slowly, he sighed in relief at finally being free of the torn remains. His shirt, however, did not fair any better as a cold breeze touched his skin through the slash marks. Turning his gaze towards Esaha, "Thank you, and you're right. We need to get back to Alesbridge." Motioning for the two females to follow him, he made his way towards the city lights in the distance.

Thoughts jumbled a twisting path inside his mind. He had broken his loyalty to the forest, helped in the murder of one of Lord Gerald's soldiers, and was now with two women who played with his curiosity and confused him greatly. Rehan could think of no reasons why Esaha would be anywhere near the forest, and alone for that matter. What puzzled him the most about her was the fact the beasts were not bothered by her presence. Shaking his head, his eyes wandered over to Lord Gerald's daughter. He still didn't know he name, and was equally surprised to find her in the forest as well. The young woman probably wanted to defeat the mistress herself for her city, which Rehan found to be foolish and yet admirable. His experience with young female nobility always seemed to end with an angry father, or a woman too self-absorbed to even let the thought of helping her city cross her mind.

Reflecting, Rehan thought of Lord Farlequa, the Lord of Darisrow in the far west. Lord Farlequa had a daughter close to Rehan's age, and they became romantically involved for a short time during his stay in her city. The Lord had caught the young man kissing his daughter and quickly had him thrown out. Then there was Lord Yevid's daughter... She had used Rehan's status as a hero for her own gain, leading the young man on until he found out she was already with another man.

Shaking his head ruefully, Rehan knew he was only thinking of such things to prevent the forest from entering his mind. He didn't want to think about the screams of death, or the fury the mistress had to be in, or the fact he had helped in the murder of an innocent. Regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to prevent such things from entering his mind, and his mask of a carefree attitude cracked. Out of habit, Rehan lifted his arm up to grasp for a pendant that was no longer about his neck. Letting his hand drop to his side, his gaze fell to the ground and a gloomy disposition took over.

[dplax]

She could see Rehan eating away at himself, and having seen what had happened just a few hectic minutes ago, Esaha could make a fairly good guess at what was going on in the young man's mind.

Having been shielded in this forest most of her life, it had also been the first time Esaha had seen a man die such a violent death. Of course, she was no stranger to death itself, having seen many of the forests dweller reach their end due to old age.

She forced a smile on her face, despite what she felt inside and put a comforting hand on Rehan's shoulder. "Do not blame yourself for their deaths. There was nothing you could do about it. Had you intervened, the beasts would have surely defeated you alongside them. Their deaths, however tragic, could not be prevented."

As your death could not be prevented, father... Esaha's thoughts went out to seek a comforting feeling from the memories she held of her father, but all she could retain were his last words, and as she thought of them a tear appeared at the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry," she said, removing her hand from Rehan's shoulder. She glanced at him, her eyes shining from the tears welling up. "I'm not really good at this comforting, am I?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "I'm sorry, but just two hours ago I was still at my dying father's side and the memories just welled up."

She tried looking apologetically at Rehan, while she wiped a tear away with her sleeve, smearing her cheeks with blood that had gotten onto her clothes while taking off Rehan's armour.

[ 07-24-2006, 03:54 AM: Message edited by: dplax ]

[mistral4543]

OOC: Larry, I'm still waiting for your contributions on Lord Gerald's and Raymond's adventures

She had opened her mouth intending to give a little more information about herself, but then held back as she heard the conversation between Rehan and Esaha. She had been born with a streak of brashness, certainly; but another trait of her ancestors' flowed in her blood just as equally: the merit of listening.

Their dialogue was not particularly important, for the moment; but one never knew whether seemingly insignificant segments would prove to be of some use further down the road of life. And in any case, there was something about the countenance of Esaha that both repelled and attracted her. From all appearances, here was a gentle and steadfast character who might prove a useful ally one day; but it was the softness that struck a chord of jealousy in her own heart. For deep down, Robyn knew that she would never be able to achieve the level of womanliness that this lovely girl exhibited. There was simply no point trying to achieve the impossible in her case, and for this, she resented this competitor of men's attention.

Silently, then, she accompanied the pair on their way back to the city, her steely eyes challenging any passersby to question the events that had led to their somewhat pathetic return. When they had at last reached her father's manor, her first command was that the couple be given sufficient healing and some time to rest. Leaving them, she now hurried to the study in search of her doting parents...

[mistral4543]

Follow them... the male with that traitor. The instructions were clear enough, and they rested upon its memory without question, without fear of being forgotten.

It spread its wings wide, circling the space above the three fugitives as they hurried away to safety, away from the green paradise that it loved so heartily and which gave such misery to leave. But a command was a command, and one from her mistress especially could never be defied. That was out of the question. And yet...

Some misgivings clipped its wings as it sailed lower so that it would not lose its prey. The female with shoulder-length brown hair and gentle brown eyes, it had seen often enough in happier days. Never had it the slight inclination then to harm her, for she and her father had kept to their side of the bargain and lived in seclusion for most of the time. The couple of times their paths had crossed, she had briefly touched its feathers as it flew within her reach or ventured a timid smile as it eyed her suspiciously.

Now, the instruction was to follow these three perpetrators of injury to the forest, and it was time to disown that memory, disregard any feelings of kinship to the brown-haired one. They must experience the punishment of their treachery, lest they take the forest for granted.

Sighing, it continued to flap its wings, its beady eyes taking in the final destination of the trio before ascending swiftly into the air. The way the blonde-haired female had moved in the forest betrayed her experience in trekking across the untamed forest, and the ease with which she carried her longbow and quiver of arrows hinted at her marksmanship. A dangerous one, this was.

Urgently then, it soared in the skies back to convey its findings to its mistress...

[ 07-24-2006, 08:26 AM: Message edited by: mistral4543 ]