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Post by D on May 22, 2008 1:27:36 GMT -5
"Well, well, well...if it isn't a new recruit..." A soldier looked at Davyn and Davyn looked back at him. "What's this? This one thinks himself to be an archer?" The Harad soldier looked back at his comrades and they laughed. They acted like they were better than him, but Davyn ignored it and walked away. "Hey!" The soldier grabbed him by the shoulder. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, filth!" They wanted to see him annoyed, but again, he ignored it and took the soldier's hand of his shoulder. "Do not touch me." He said without turning to look back. "What can you possibly mean?" The soldier pushed him on the back. "Do you mean like this?" Davyn was pushed harder and then was pushed by one of the soldier's comrades. He turned around and looked at them before sighing. "Must I say it to your kind? Please...do not touch me." Of course, they didn't listen. The soldier grabbed some of his cloak in the front, pulled Davyn toward him, and then threw him back. Davyn landed on mud and looked up at them with unhappy eyes. "Look...Look at him..." They laughed and while the soldier wasn't paying attention, Davyn got up and rolled his hands into fists.
"..." His fist came back and then connected with the soldier's unprotected face. The soldier's hand went up to his nose and he turned away from Davyn. "I'm bleeding!" He yelled. "That recruit punched me!" Davyn spat on the ground and then cracked his knuckles, before delivering a nice kick on the soldier's behind. The soldier went flying into the mud and he waited for the soldier to get up again. Once he did, the soldier looked at Davyn in fury. "I suppose all that mud in your nose has stopped the bleeding..." He got into a defensive position and prepared for his opponent's charge. He didn't know what was to happen, but he was going to use this to see how strong a Harad army soldier was. He wanted to know the answer for himself and not just from the rumors.
New recruits looked up at the two fighting men and then looked back down. Soldiers did the same and continued on with whatever they were doing. They all thought that the fight would end quickly with the soldier as winner. After all, the soldier had better training and Davyn was only a recruit.
"How dare you attack me! I am a soldier of the Harad army! Do you kn-eh...ugh. This is disgusting...Damn dirt..." He wiped his face and got the mud out of his mouth. "Do you know who I am?!" "...?" "I'm a soldier, w--" "You talk too much..." Davyn said as he still waited for the attack. After some silence, the soldier charged and the real fight began…
The soldier swung his arm around, but was blocked by Davyn’s arm. An uppercut was thrown quickly after the swing and Davyn moved away but that small movement didn’t save Davyn from a hard knock on his jaw. Davyn stumbled back and shook his head before pulling down the cloth covering his mouth. He gathered the red colored spit in his mouth and spat it all out. Now both men were bleeding and were even.
Davyn got back into position and raised his fists again. It was quite obvious that he would never charge and the soldier was still angry, so instead of Davyn being the one to strike first, it was the soldier. Oh, how much easier it was to fight someone being controlled by emotions…The soldier charged again, but when the soldier got near enough, Davyn bent down and flipped the soldier over. “...Hmm. You are…” He smiled and pulled the cloth over his mouth and nose. “…only human…”
He began to walk away, but he heard a yell. “Rahhh!” The next thing saw was the color of dry dirt. He turned himself around and was met by his opponent’s fists. The soldier gave two shots to his face and the rest of his punches were blocked by Davyn’s arms, but the soldier’s punches continued. Davyn wouldn’t say it, but the punches were hurting him and were getting through his vambrace. “Get off of me!” Davyn kicked the soldier off and slammed his hand onto the ground. In an elven tongue, he called to the tree behind him. His hand and eyes were glowing a deep green, and once the soldier hit the ground, it seemed as if the roots of the tree had come alive. The roots wrapped around the soldier’s arms, legs and neck to pin him down. Davyn raised his hand and the roots tightened on their target. “Let…go…of…me.” The soldier was being choked.
Now all were interested in the fight. They didn’t expect this to happen and now they wanted to know what Davyn would do. Would he kill the soldier or would he let him live. “Tch…” He got off of the ground and tried cleaning himself. Davyn looked at the soldier who was pinned to the ground and then walked away. If the soldier died, then he dies and if he managed to live, then he lives.
“Hold it!” One of the soldier’s comrades stopped Davyn, and the other ran to the generals. “Hmm?” “Who do you think you are?!” Davyn just looked at him without answering. “Release him! That is an order, recruit!” “You do not want to see if he will survive?” “What? He will die! He is choking…” “Really? If he dies that easily…then I can say that I am disappointed in the soldiers of Harad…and to think that I thought of you men as the best. In my opinion, I think you are looking down at him. If he is truly the best…I think his need for life will let him survive…” “Release him!” “…I suppose that I’ll never see the ‘greatness’ of your soldiers.” At the wave of his hand, the roots released the soldier and the soldier gasped for air.
“Generals! A recruit has made trouble with a soldier!” The man said. “…It pains me to say it, but…the recruit could have killed the soldier…”
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Post by Turn 360 and walk away on May 22, 2008 18:06:11 GMT -5
I mustn't continue longer... with every hour her body weakens...release her from the hold, let her regain strength.
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Early that morning, the Ayriian army rose, and began readying for the day's conquests. As the daemons waited at the door, out of impatience and frustration, for the men to rise, Ilona Vostocre sat shivering in the corner. Her face had been scratched at; every part of her essence ached. Fear was in her eyes. Her eyes slowly closed, she shocked herself back into consciousness, at the hands of her dagger. Fresh blood ran down her arm. Every time she fell asleep, every time she wasn't vigilant, it happened. Horrors. Tortures. Hells more horrible than a man can dream. She began shaking again, she slid onto the ground, and pushed herself into the corner. The rest of the soldiers were exercising in the courtyard, warming up for today's war games. A thin thread of blood ran across her cheek and puddled on her breast. She wiped it away and stood up. Drenched in a cold sweat. She found it disgusting. Ilona stumbled over to the formation. One of the Nаt'Pnарх stared at her; the others seemed to try to communicate with her, then between each other. She tried to walk up the stairs; failing led her to the Boehguerra's side. Ilona dropped onto her hands and knees and tried to breathe--something was blocking her airway-- it turned out to be a glob of coagulated blood. She gazed up at her superior.
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The first thing he noticed, that Vostocre wasn't in formation, struck Vorsar as odd. She has been such a better soldier lately. He led warm-ups, as usual, and looked for her. An empty spot in the middle column stood, stark and obvious. He saw her, then, stumbling drunkenly across the yard. She tried to climb to the archer boxes, fell back down, and walked towards himself. Vostocre looked like hell. Vorsar looked back at her. Looks like a dog. She looked up, towards him, and Vorsar was disappointed. He swung his hand out, and the back of it made contact with the side of her head. She fell, spiraling, to the ground. She laid her head on the ground and stayed still, panting.
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Post by V on May 22, 2008 19:51:19 GMT -5
The two generals were busy training the new recruits...most of them anyway. The one Jia Min had spoken to didn't seem to show up for this exercise. The ones who chose to be in the front lines were given a curved blade, and a metal shield. These were for training of course, not the real fighting. They were swinging at wooden targets who were also bearing armaments. Kahyet showed them the first attack pattern. He charged up to his target, swung below the "arm", hit the head with his shield, and stabbed into the center. He then told the recruits to mimic this maneuver. They did, and it was surprisingly good. Kahyet then preformed a more complicated one for them to mimic. He started by charging the target again, hitting the face with his shield, stabbing the blade into the shoulder, and then knocking it over. He warned them that this was not as easy as it seemed, and when the recruits tried, most lost their swords into the shoulder of the targets. Kahyet sighed, and showed them the maneuver again.
At the same time, Jia Min was evaluating those who saw themselves as archers. This was also through demonstration. She approached the mound, where you must stand behind, and strung her bow. One of her feet were bared in order to add some better traction. This foot would usually have a boot with a much more treaded sole, but that was only used in battle, for it was not the most comfortable, however, Jia Min was used to it. The recruits were wearing this very boot, in order to help them get used to it, and would continue wearing it through out their normal lives, as long as they were conscripted that is. They watched as the female general pulled the arrow back, and two seconds later, released. The arrow hit the round target dead center. And she turned to the recruits. "Attempt to atleast hit the target." The recruits strung their weapons. They'd been taught the proper firing method, but it would be shown here if they could perform it correctly. After a second, Jia Min gave the fire command. Already, some of the arrows simply fell from the bow as the hand released. Others, the arrows only flew half way to the target, while the rest either flew over the target or went off to the sides. She sighed, and told them to try again.
However, a moment later, A soldiers came up to her, saying one of the recruits attempted to kill one of the soldiers. She told one of her captains to resume the training, and went to confront this recruit. When she arrived, she saw a root around the soldier's neck, and Davyn testing the man's ability to breath. She remembered this recruit, and already she was already disappointed with him. "Hmm...so we give you superior equipment, and generous pay, and you repay us by attacking our men?" she told him calmly. "and with a meek magic nonetheless?" Jia Min was no mage, but she knew little metalmancery. She took an arrow from her quiver, and broke the arrowhead off. She then tossed it at Davyn, and waved her hand. The arrowhead broke into three long metal bands, two tightly constricting around Davyn's arms, binding them to his tors, and legs together. The third split into two segements, and clenched around his palms, so his fingers had limited mobility. Jia Min then pushed him over. "Listen, you fool." She told him, putting her bared foot on his neck, and pushed down. "I don't know who you think you are, but all of these men are more important than you, and I'm willing to kill you in an instant if you even think of hurting one of them again. I know where there abilities lie, and furthermore they know their place." She watched him start to struggle with breathing, so she pinched his adam's apple between her big toe and second toe, to inflict a painful sensation on top of the already hurting suffocation one. "I don't know much about you, which is why they are more valuable than you. I suggest you prove your worth to me, but not like this. Am I clear?" She waited for him to make a choking sound one more time, before removing her foot, and turning to walk away. She spoke to the other soldiers, and pointed to the soldier who had been attacked by Davyn. "Take him to the cleric." Then to Davyn. "...and that fool, have him take a breath, and report to the training grounds." Then with a wave of her hand, the bands of metal were broken, landing harmlessly beside Davyn. Jia Min only hoped that put him in his place.
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Post by B on May 22, 2008 20:30:15 GMT -5
Skadi had went with Vorsar, like always, on the crusade to destroy the Bird-Men. She then watched with awe as he devised his plan and set forth to the gate. It was him, her, and two others. Vorsar laid out his lies and Skadi played along, nodding honorably when she was addressed as "Iron". Then the slaughter began. When they defeated the two guards Skadi was quick to behead the nearest Bird-Man. In the end they succeeded.
The crusaders finally came back from the defeat of the Bird-Men. Skadi was away from Vorsar at this point, fixing to get herself a new lance, also because Vorsar found it creepy when she was with him 24-7 so she only followed him faithfully during councils, speeches, or war; anything that would show him as a target.
She was in the broken up armory when two soldiers came. They looked extremely young, about 14 or 15. One of them smiled smugly. "You're the soldier who took down the Mumak aren't you!?" He spoke proudly. "..." "Right?" "..." Skadi stood there staring at them. The quiet one's smile seemed strained now. "C'mon. You defeated a Mumak alone! The demons had to send a whole force against the other one and many of them died!" "..." The two kids/soldiers looked at each other silently before looking back. "We were wondering if you could train us." The boy proposed. "..." Skadi turned and walked away, the boys hurried to follow and both had begging pleas. Skadi tried to ignore them but in the end she couldn't. She withdrew her waste sword and pointed it at them. "Are you the Boehguerra?" She growled. By the look of their eyes Skadi just figured that they now knew that it wasn't a man who they were talking to. "No?" Skadi continued. "You are unworthy wretched children, now flee before I collect your skulls." She growled one last time and the two boys scurried off. Skadi grunted to herself and sheathed her weapon before continuing. She didn't want popularity, nor did she care about passing on her talents. She only wanted to kill for the Boehguerra. But perhaps having fans will show her use to the Boehguerra, he always seemed to look through her, even when she commits the most to many battles. She shook those thoughts, it was honor enough to be by his side, that's what matters. Even with that thought in mind, she hoped she could please him with something... And she knew that something, the head of a Harad General...
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Post by D on May 22, 2008 21:03:35 GMT -5
"Hmm... so we give you superior equipment, and generous pay, and you repay us by attacking our men?" Davyn tilted his head to the side. They would never listen what he would say and he was fully aware of that. It was alright. If we was to fight for this army he'd take it. "...and with a meek magic nonetheless." The general tossed an arrowhead and used her own magic. He knew what kind it was, but he let the metal bind him. She pushed him over and placed her foot on his neck. "Listen, you fool..." A lot of people did these kind of things these days... "I don't know who you think you are, but all of these men are more important than you, and I'm willing to kill you in an instant if you even think of hurting one of them again..." The Harad army was just like he had imagined, but he still liked it here. "I know where their abilities lie, and furthermore, they know their place." She pressed harder and at this time, he began to struggle with his breathing. The general then pinched his adam's apple, causing him more pain. "I don't know much about you, which is why there are more valuable than you. I suggest you prove your worth to me, but not like this. Am I clear?" "As..clear...as a crystal..." He managed to choke out before putting on a smile behind the cloth. The general took his foot off of his neck and then walked away. She spoke with some soldiers, and then finally released Davyn.
The bands dropped to the ground and Davyn got up. He rubbed his neck and took some breaths. After a few breaths, he took a really deep one before undoing his vambrace. Davyn didn't have to unwrap the wraps he had around his wound. The cut that he had received from earlier had gotten worse because of his fight with he soldier and it was bleeding through more. "Hmm..." "Quit wasting time." A soldier said and Davyn quickly but his vambrace back on. He redid the vambrace and looked up at the soldier. "She told me to tell you to report to the training grounds...Oh, and don't get into anymore fights. You're a horrible fighter, using magic and all!" Davyn chuckled and walked away from the soldier. He waved his hand and then stopped. He opened his mouth to say something the soldier but later decided against it. "You probably already know this...but if one is really fighting...to win...that one man has to use everything he has. I was simply using what I could... I'm sure if you could, you would have done the same." He said, but the soldier wouldn't be able to hear it.
Davyn made it to the the training grounds and watched all the recruits being trained. "Interesting...I have to fight their way." He said, while fixing his vambrace. The pain in his arm was becoming an annoyance, but it wouldn't hinder him too much. The wound wasn't one of his first and it definitely wasn't as deep as some other ones he had, so he couldn't complain. Davyn finished fixing his vambrace and wondered what he would do next. "I suppose I'll wait..."
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Post by Turn 360 and walk away on May 23, 2008 18:09:09 GMT -5
Vorsar strode beyond the groups of soldiers, stabbing at pig carcasses in annoyance at the lack of Harad blood. The smith, a tall, round, aging man, with half a head of hair and one-half his eyes, stood at a furnace with a mallet in hand. He was crafting armors for the horses, raided from the burning at the Nоabul village. Only his Finest men got one, though, there were so few horses saved from the ravages, and so few of the army who were deserving enough to have a mount. Even then, the choice was hard to make. One for himself; His died long ago. He'll divvy them out later. Vostocre was in the corner again, staring at a Anur'Ranst, who was doing the same to her. She turned her head and vomited. Vorsar pushed against his eyes with the palm of his hand and walked back in front of his soldiers. He shouted for them to stand down, and break their fast. The Horad scum would probably be back by Sundown.
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Ilona tried, she really did, after being assaulted by the Boehguerra. She stumbled to her place in line, and dropped for push ups, but couldn't get up. Somehow, she managed to slice at a pig's head twice before she sheathed her sword and dragged to a corner. The daemons roaming this place were frightening, and disgusting. She couldn't hide her nausea. Still, she couldn't let her guard down. Letting her sleep is letting hell out of a cage. She tried to stand, but ended up crawling to the Boehguerra's former campsite. Her eyes got so heavy... so heavy...
She fell asleep in the cool, quiet, empty room.
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Post by Jo on May 25, 2008 12:49:44 GMT -5
Lestari had returned home. Sleep was a task all of its own. It was interesting, the stares she was given. She had accepted the gracious offer from the Harad General. At least they were appreaciative about some of her skills and personnal qualities instead of merely laughing at her.
When she returned to recieve her training, Lestari had worn men's clothing. She had cut her hair so it was only shoulder height then tied it up.No make up worn, she was less then appealing then before.
She mostly hid in the back, moving the blade with the rest as one.
(Filler)
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Post by V on May 25, 2008 23:07:56 GMT -5
Four days after, the recruits had received basic training, and were dubbed ready for battle. The generals had switched their plans to retake the fortress, and simply decided to plunder the Ayriian lands. The gates to the great city opened up again...and this time, the hired hands marched out first. No steed, no real protective armor, compared to the Harad'rim soldiers that is. Perhaps some hardened leather, and steel plates. Most had curved blades, and a shield, others with polearms, and the rest with a bow. Reinforcements were due to arrive the following day, and would rest at the city of Kamigawa. They'd meet with Jia Min and Kahyet's force later on. Until then, their current army marched beyond the border of Harad, and into the land of poverty and despair that was Ayrii. Already, they could see a scenery change. There were few inhabitants so far..but a village was coming into view. Must be horrible to live on the border, especially with only a hand full of guards. The guards didn't even look like full time soldiers; dressed like the peasants, but wielded weapons. This would be good training for the recruits, since they and the guards were evenly matched. The sight of the new siege weapons and the Mumak, greatly demoralized the enemy, and gave the Harad'rim a morale boost.
There maybe twenty total Ayriian guards, most of which were just given a weapon and told to fight. The generals actually felt pity for these men, and ordered them to "spare those who surrender". The horn was blown, and the recruits rushed in, weapons flailing. They used the basic maneuvers that Kahyet taught them to quickly overwhelm the the enemy, and slaughter those who resisted. Needless to say, after half were killed, the rest of the guard surrendered, and although there were some villagers who resisted (and were quickly silenced), most of the village came quietly. Using the oil lamp arrows, the Hard'rim archers set fire to the village, and sent those who surrendered back to Kamigawa, to be sold as slaves. This was the first true victory in Ayriian lands, and there would be more, as the force marched on.
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The came to an empty Ayriian fortress; the garrison must have been conscripted to fight in the force that attacked them, there was not even a flag. But that was changed, as they raised there own garnet flag. This was actually more of an outpost than a fortress...the entire thing was made of logs tied together. Still, it was a place to rest, as the soldiers layed down for the night. Jia Min put look-outs on duty, while Kahyet did the same. Perhaps they'd have gone too far into this strange land...but, with Vorsar occupied, it would only be normal Ayriian soldiers who would come...or so they hoped. They did not truly know how many of those demons the Ayriians had. But, them just appearing made them believe they were simply created on the spot. The wizards, the generals, and the archers could not wait to test their new weapons. Tomorrow, they would plan an actual path, that lead to an Ayriian city, or a fortress. The garrison will be frightened at the sight of this new arsenal.
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Post by Turn 360 and walk away on May 26, 2008 5:12:36 GMT -5
The heat rose off the sands, rippling the air in front of her aching body into rivers, lakes, other people. Still, she dragged on, pulling her bare, blistered feet through the fine grit of the River of Sand. golden bangles wrapped around her left arm half way to the elbow, and far less accented her ankles. She had spiraling tattoos up her right arm and legs. Black ink in organic curves throughout her body. Long ago, the robes she called clothing were long since destroyed; Some as gifts to the creatures of the deserts, but most torn away from the biting wind. She had nothing short of rags on her body, now. A small wrap sat atop her head and neck. A length of cloth ran around her torso, covering most of her body from deprived animal herders. One arm was laid across her body at her chest. the other was glued in front of her eyes, protecting them from dirt and sun. The wind blew away her sunshade. Shoulder-length, cropped dark hair fell out of it, and instantly began whipping about wildly. She cursed and tore another swath of cloth from her dwindling clothes. Off in the distance, something caught her eye. Green! She ran, and ran, and ran. Soon, she collapsed and and began trying to sob; there was so little water left in her body she couldn't summon tears. Only more sand, where her oasis once stood. She continued to crawl in whatever direction she was headed--It was south when she set out, but by now, who knows--in search of help. It was hopeless. Every hut she came to, she got nothing more than a kind word and a slammed door. Shows why no one says they dislike Ayrii. An exile of a military state, condemned to death by the the simple act of trying to cross the border. She had all the documentation, But the government didn't feel like it, so they bound, gagged, and beat her, before dumping her in the middle of a wasteland. She belonged nowhere; before the wars, She had been casted out from her village, simply for being different. Her mother was a nymph, father was a Counselman of the fairly pure human society. By stroke of unluck, she had inherited Some of the Elemental's "gift," so it was called. for fear and pride, Her father payed no heed to her powers; She was raised like any child. Her schooling was minimal, and she worked as a farmhand the minute she took five steps. But as she grew, so did her gift. The rice patties that dotted her village were suddenly bare, and the farm's water dried faster than if could fill. The great river they built along moved closer to her family's home, 3 men's lengths, in seemingly a day. As soon as her father could bear it, he exiled her. She wandered the streets of Ayriian cities for many years, begging, among other things, for measly coins. Too little to feed herself, but, it was money nonetheless. One of her friends managed across the border, and wrote back to the dismal tenement she "lived" in, talking of opportunity, Cities of Gold and Silver, and "the god's Gift," Love from an aunt there. She Invited her there, in hopes of starting "a new life". So here we are. wandering through a god-forsaken desert in search of what doesn't exist. Her shaking hand held itself over the desert floor. for the longest time nothing happened, but then a miracle produced itself. droplets of water formed at the sand's surface, then more, and more. She dropped her head down and drank from the puddle. It wasn't enough to save her, but it would allow her to cross a few more dunes. She got up and stumbled around, working through the white sand, towards the horizon. Soon, that little burst of willpower dwindled and she dropped to the ground. the sand was harder here. the little insects seemed to avoid staying on it too long. she payed no attention. in the dirt around her, she scrawled with a dried-out tree limb.
"I, Xinrae, of sound mind, and unsound body hereby lay......" A final plea to the gods.
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Post by V on May 28, 2008 3:50:01 GMT -5
Ah...the army welcomed the rain. The capital of Harad received very little of this gift, which was where most of thees soldiers were trained and raised. Wanting to elaborate on such a rare occasion, Jia Min sent some of the men to place buckets to collect water for surplus provisions. Two soldiers who had wandered out gathering water, and began talking about great beasts they had slain..
"By the bear, Kolgrim! Did I not make myself clear? A giant this great requires an equally great warrior... and who better than he who has slain the great two-headed troll of the Seer'ahr swamps?"
His companion scoffed and replied. "Is that the best kill you can claim, Einarr? Bah. A mere rodent nibbling at the heels of the great beasts I have slain. While you defeated a single creature with by two heads, I killed twice and twice again that number of deadly warbling hemlock devourers."
"Warbling? ... What? How could any beast with a name reserved for birds be ferocious?"
"Your lack of wisdom only proves I should fight the great giant. A warbling hemlock devourer can kill with a single sting... but that is nothing to the keening wail they emit. To even hear the sound ring across the mountains has driven lesser men insane."
"Your prattling is enough to drive me insane. Stand aside and allow me to fell this beast, or I shall be forced to whet my weapon's appetite on your thick skull first."
"Bah! Slay your giant! They fight well, and by the bear spirit, we respect their strength. But these beasts are too simple-minded to be more than a diversion, not a true challenge. Giants are like crows, after a fashion...their small brains easily distracted by shiny objects. On more than one occasion the giants raided our camps for lanterns. We're still not sure why."
"Your trivia tickles me, but I'm afraid you underestimate this beast! Now hand me that sword! It belonged to my mother!"
"Your mother was a trapper. She didn't even use a sword. It belonged to a great hunter...my father."
"Great hunter? The only thing your father ever caught was a cold!"
"You arrogant lout! My father was a hero!"
"Oh! You're asking for it now! Those are fighting words!"
The two men raised fists, when something caught Einarr's eye. "By Hora!" he shouted. "What is that?!"
"Oh no! You're not pulling that old trick on me!"
Kolgrim's companion turned him around, and pointed to a body sprawled on the ground. Then both realized...it was a young woman. By the looks of her, she'd been beaten, and badly. Red marking on her wrists and ankles were signs of bonds. Her badly blistered body showed she'd been lost in the River of Sand for atleast a few days; this was reinforced by the fact she was passed-out in a puddle. The two men rolled her over, allowing her to breath. Einarr found the message she'd scrawled in the dirt. Was hardly legible, but he could make out words; "I, Xinrae, of sound mind, and unsound body hereby lay......"
The two men looked at each other. "Not today, m'lady." They told the lifeless body. "Too young to see Hora, you are." And together, they hauled Xinrae back to the fortress.
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Later, Xinrae had awoken on a soft bed, padded with several blankets and cushions, and a fresh set of clothes...by order of the generals. Jia Min was waiting for her, parchments in hand. "Xinrae..of Ayrii." The general told the young woman. "Let me say, that you don't seem like an Ayriian...I confused you as a wounded soldier at first glance. Too much like us...but then again. That must be why you wanted to cross border and live in Harad." Suddenly, man came in, dressed in what seemed to be simple garbs wrapped around torso entirely, with pants look like they were made from patches, and old loafers. A veil was covering his mouth, while his black hair was spiked. "Ah...our cleric." Jia Min continued. "He says you were the worst condition he's ever treated. He was amazed you could even move with all those injuries." The female general, stood against the wall now and folded her arms, staring at the young woman. "Well...I'll grant you a home in our fine land of Harad...but, you must do something for us first...assuming what the cleric theorized is true. I'll let him get to that first."
The cleric then nodded, and produced a flask of a gelatinous substance, which was clear in color. The lid was popped off, and he took a generous amount into his hand, and spread it around Xinrae's right palm, making sure he only did the entire underside of the hand. He could hear the young woman squeal, and highly sensitive hands were a good sign of spell casting. But, it could also mean her hands were just sore, and the gelatinous substance was just irritating her nerves. They would not know until this strange gel took affect. The cleric was not finished yet, for he began to apply it to her left palm, again making sure to only get it on the underside of her hand, ignoring any squeals or giggles Xinrae made. This same gel was then spread entirely around the blistered soles of both of Xinrae's feet. She squealed and seemed like she made an attempt to move them, however, in her state, movement would be tough. This was completely disregarded, as her feet were in likely the worst condition of her body...but applying this substance to them was all necessity. When the cleric finished, jia Min watched the four areas the gel had been applied to. "Allow me to explain how this will work..." she said calmly. "Harad lacks those who use magic well at all. And those who do are not willing to admit. Every now and then though, we'll get a willing volunteer...or an incapacitated one such as yourself, and too make sure we are not trying to be fooled, we test with this gelatinous ooze." She then jabbed her finger into Xinrae's side to see if she was still conscious, before continuing. "If the gel emits a red glow in about a minute's time, you have the potential of using magical spells...if not, well you're just normal. If you are positive for potential, in order to live within Harad...you must earn it by fighting alongside us" She examined the rags the young woman had originally been wearing, and then the body markings. "Judging by your apparel...your hands and feet will glow brighter than our flaming arrows. And I'm sure you already know a few things. It would be much easier if you showed us all you know when we prove you positive." She commented, and waited for the gel to give the results.
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Post by D on May 29, 2008 1:08:22 GMT -5
“’twasn’t what I would have expected...” Davyn said as he prepared himself for the next battle. He rewrapped his injured left arm and put on his vambrace. He then fixed his gloves and boots. “They wasted four days to train us…” “It was the best training I’ve received…” Some random recruit said. “…an’ what do ya mean wasted?” “Sometimes when you are hired into a group or an army to fight with…they just give you your weapons and put you on the battlefield. No training. They just expect you to fight and die. Sometimes you die because you couldn’t fight, but the Harad’im army chose to give us some type of skill…” “…?” Davyn smiled and then holstered his daggers. “They really did not need to train us for we will die anyways. We shall be put first and we shall charge first…Then…most likely…we shall die first. Better our deaths than the death of a Harad’im soldier.” He stretched a bit before taking a seat on a crate. “They trained us so that some of us do not die so easily....and so that there is a less chance of making the actual army smaller....” He leaned against another crate and looked at the recruit. The recruit was still only a boy and Davyn’s words were frightening him. “It wouldn’t matter much if we died…we are easily replaced. But kill a Harad’im soldier…and that takes a while to fix.” “We’re all going to die…” The recruit said and Davyn slowly nodded his head. “That is something that could happen…after all…we are going to fight in an actual battle. These battles are nothing like the fancy twirling and swinging of swords in the fairs you used to go to…” “They’re not…?” The recruit’s voice turned squeaky and Davyn still smiled. To Davyn this was the truth and he was being serious about it, but the boy still made him smile with his reaction to Davyn’s ‘truth’. “Sadly…they are not.”
The gates finally opened and the hired hands marched out first as Davyn had thought. As they marched out, he spotted the boy he had spoken to earlier and saw him shaking from the head to the toe. Davyn sighed and hoped the best for the boy and continued marching. Davyn followed the others, for he wasn’t sure where he was headed, but after a while he knew where he was. He was in the land of Ayrii.
They kept on marching until a village came into view and Davyn looked up. His words from earlier repeated in his head and he gave a sigh. That was the truth to him…A horn sounded and broke through his thoughts. “Spare those who surrender!” Before he knew it, people were rushing toward the village. Davyn approached the village in a quick step, but unlike the others, he didn’t seem like he was in such hurry to fight. He stopped at a spot and readied his bow and arrow. Some of the recruits with the bows did the same, but there were others who still rushed in…even when they had the bows.
He looked around and saw one a recruit struggling with an Ayrrian guard. Davyn raised his bow and aimed. He released the arrow and soon its head had found itself in Ayrrian flesh. As the guard fell, the recruit who had been struggling took a nice slash at the guard and Davyn lowered his weapon. He knew that the battle had already been won and in a short while, those who had surrendered were being sent away.
After the battle, there was time to rest and they had found an outpost. Davyn took some time to check on his equipment and then he found a quiet spot without anyone around. He took his cloak off and carefully placed in on the ground. Davyn then lowered himself to sit, before looking up at the sky. There was sadness in his eyes. In these strange lands, he could not hear the forest well and when he did, he could only hear its pain. The wind carried the messages to him and he sighed. The forest couldn’t help him here… “It’s been so long since mother’s lessons…”
Just as he thought of his mother, a drop of rain touched his face and he opened his eyes. “Iri’s and mother’s favorite kind of weather.” He got off from his ground and dusted off his cloak, before putting it back on. He put up his hood and then sat back down. Davyn didn’t enjoy the rain anymore, but he did before with his sister and mother. “How unlucky...”
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Post by Turn 360 and walk away on May 29, 2008 17:59:20 GMT -5
"Harad lacks those who use magic well at all. And those who do are not willing to admit. Every now and then though, we'll get a willing volunteer...or an incapacitated one such as yourself, and too make sure we are not trying to be fooled, we test with this gelatinous ooze." Xinrae may not have been fully conscious, but this put her off by some amount anyway. "If the gel emits a red glow in about a minute's time, you have the potential of using magical spells...if not, well you're just normal. If you are positive for potential, in order to live within Harad...you must earn it by fighting alongside us" She threw her body up as far as she could and spit in the woman's face. Luckily for her, Xinrae couldn't make herself move. The man just stood at the foot of the bed and stared at Her. The clothes she had been changed into we not of the highest quality, rough-spun cottons throughout most of the garb, but it was far better than what she presumed she came in with. The ooze still laid on her hands and feet. It felt worse than the most grotesque thing she could imagine touching. While she waited, she looked around the room she was in. The woman was shouting at her. There was a basin in the corner, with a large tub of water, not in a separate room, she noticed. At this she got more than a little self-conscious. Her old rags were hung over the back of a crude chair. She could feel the fire in her cheeks as she started blushing. Two more men came in with a worried look in their eyes. The Cleric turned to them, "She's alright," then back to Xinrae, "These two men were the ones that found you. Yes, you are quite lucky ." Now she was feeling really embarrassed. She looked around some more. Looked more like a barracks than a house. Few windows, and only one door. The men who burst through pointed at her, and the cleric widened his eyes. She looked down at herself. Her hands started emanating light, very low at first, but it steadily rose to an intense red pulse.
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So very soon....... So very soon... sooooooooooonn.... Anyra, reyne, lucre'ev...
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Post by D on Jun 8, 2008 12:02:24 GMT -5
Davyn prepared to close his eyes, but something he caught at the corner of his view got his interest. He had noticed a soft red glow from the window to his left and out of curiosity, he moved toward the window. The light was barely noticeable at first, but after time, the red light grew stronger. "Hmm..." He took a peek in and saw a girl in rags. Davyn saw others in the room, but he really didn't care too much for them. He lowered himself from the window and leaned against the wall.
It seemed that the glowing light was coming from the girl's hands and feet. For some time, he wondered about the light and when he had a guess about, he decided to take a look. Davyn looked again and saw that the girl's hands and feet weren't glowing. It seemed that the gel that was put on her was glowing. He could not hear anything from the room and could only guess what they were staying, but he stayed watching. He watched for some time, but then he realized that he could have been watching for too long.
Davyn took one more look at the girl, and then lowered himself from the window once more. He moved away from the window and got up to walk elsewhere. Now, he needed to find a new place to sleep. He needed a place that was quiet and drier. Davyn walked for a while, but he found another place to rest. It was still outside, but he found it better than his last spot. He closed his eyes and thought about the girl. She had caught his interest and his questions about her filled his mind as he slowly got to sleep.
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Post by V on Jun 9, 2008 4:43:49 GMT -5
Jia Min was not at all impressed by Xinrae's attempt to retaliate, and watched as the young woman's saliva landed beside her boot. "Well, it would seem you know how to behave around an enemy." she said spitefully, before the two soldiers walked in. "Ah! You two. I'm sure you are worried about her. Like the cleric says, she is fine..." then suddenly, the red glow emitted from Xinrae's hands and feet. "but not when we done with her." Looked like Xinrae was about to make an attempt to spit at Jia Min, but could not even sit up. "Ha. You cannot even support yourself right now. Well, I bet you want that nasty stuff off your body right now." She was not at all happy with this woman, and was going to begin torturing her right now, despite her being a possible advantage in their army. "Well, the well is outside. Here's the bucket." Jia mine pointed to it on the floor beside the door. "Mind your step. The ground is dirt after all. We wouldn't want your soft little feet being all blistered again, especially with all that nasty gel on it." "Come!" She told the others. "Let her wash herself off." The other three weren't sure about this. The two soldiers didn't feel it was right, and cleric knew this wouldn't be best for her. But they would have no say other wise, and followed Jia Min out.
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Post by Turn 360 and walk away on Jun 9, 2008 6:39:40 GMT -5
A shadow passed in front of the window, if only for a moment, Xinrae noticed, as the woman she now thoroughly despised continued to bark at her. "Well, the well is outside. Here's the bucket. Mind your step. The ground is dirt after all. We wouldn't want your soft little feet being all blistered again, especially with all that nasty gel on it." Xinrae threw her body backwards, and watched as the woman, along with the other men, exit. She would have complained to one of them, but she had a peculiar idea that it would fall upon deaf ears no matter who she pleaded with. She looked over towards the wash basin, and just like the commanding officer promised, there was a bucket. She peered out the crude wooden door into the main area of her new home. Right in the middle of the dirt lot stood a squat rock structure with a rope and pulley hanging off of it. A lot of the soldiers were looking her way, and some were whispering between each other. She closed to door. Though cleaning off the ooze was easily the one thing she wanted to do more than breathing, she kicked the bucket aside. Slowly and deliberately, she moved her hand around in circles, before finally flipping her hand, with her thumb and first two fingers stuck out, in an upwards swipe. a small spray of sand flew at her face, and a jet of water followed, landing in the wash basin with little more than a whisper. For good measure, she also stuck hand, palm out, towards the well and pulled her hand in, towards herself. Xinrae eased herself into the still fairly clean water and brushed away all the layers of sand and grit she still felt. Disgustingly enough, the gel floated. outside, two men were trying to fetch some water, but the bucket they sent down had come back up dry as a bone. She couldn't stifle a chuckle as they began blaming each other. Soon after, feeling a little cleaner than she was before, she tried for something a little adventurous. Taking scraps of her old ropes, she tied bandaged around her feet and arms, and walked outside. Not too far out of camp, there was a treeline. She made a bee-line for a large evergreen at the border, hoping for a place to sit.
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