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Post by Jya on Oct 21, 2009 19:40:20 GMT -6
"That just means we just have to survive! We're going to resolve your problem and look for my friend!" she exclaimed, before diverting her attention to her share of meat. Taking a bite, it tasted a little bit dry, but otherwise delicious from the lack of food she always gave herself.
"You know, I'm not very good at what I do, sometimes I have to eat anything thats edible, but I'm somewhat happy with being me. What have your life been to you?" she asked before becoming somewhat drowsy from the calm night.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Oct 21, 2009 19:47:11 GMT -6
He bit into the over cooked meat, and swallowed a bit before fielding her question. "It's been...a weird life. I'm about as old as you are, I lose track of time but 18 or so sounds about right, I'm just really short for my age." He commented, since he was often told he still looked like he was 12. "I've been...wandering for a long...long time. My family is all gone, so it's really all that is left for me. I guess it bothered me once, but I've moved past it. Right now I've...just set my mind on trying to help people. If I can make someones life a little easier, then mine might have meaning after all."
He saw her yawn, and it seemed the meat was already finished that quickly. They'd have to find something tomorrow.
"I guess it's time to turn in." He said, looking to Jya. "Why don't you get some sleep? You look exhausted."
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Post by Jya on Oct 21, 2009 20:00:18 GMT -6
"Yeah, I guess so," she said, wiping away a sleepy tear. Taking out a vial from bag, she gulped it down.
"That was to make sure I don't cough too much in sleep. My body really isn't cut out for rough treatment, but hey, no use living you life in fear. Many people thought I was going to die five years ago, but look I'm alive, still sick, but kicking." she said happily, trying to ignore the urge to talk some more. collapsing onto her back, almost immediately she fell asleep.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Oct 21, 2009 20:04:48 GMT -6
Valorian watched over Jya's sleeping form for a moment more, a worried expression on his face. So she was sick...with what? It might have been a money matter, or it could be incurable. Could he possibly fix it?
He looked to his staff for a moment. No, too risky.
Perhaps she would be one he could help later. He leaned against a tree and faded into a sort of meditative trance. As long as he kept himself elevated, he'd still be somewhat alert, but he'd get some rest. Not like they had to worry about anyone finding them in the middle of nowhere. The sound of the nearby stream relaxed him soon enough.
---------------
Jya would wake in the morning to an empty camp, but the presence of his pack would reveal that he was still near.
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Post by Jya on Oct 21, 2009 20:18:32 GMT -6
Jya woke up to an empty site, the fire long smoldered, the ashes burnt out to a black and gray pit. She scratched her head, recollecting everything that had happened the previous day. Right! She needed to find Valorian! Getting up, with her senses alert, she moved over to his pack and swung it over her back.
"Valorian! Valorian!" she called, beginning to walk around the area, before a dull ache came from her chest. She coughed once, than twice, until everything pored out in succession. Putting her hand over her mouth, revealed she was coughing up blood again, was it another attack?
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Oct 21, 2009 20:31:53 GMT -6
Valorian was down by the stream, cloak thrown off to the side as he had been washing his face from the sweat of the previous days journey. It was there that he heard the call.
"Jya?!" He shouted back, and ran back towards her without grabbing his cloak and only snatching his staff in passing. He came to the clearing they had made camp and saw her coughing, a small splatter of blood on the ground. "By the Goddess! Jya, just relax." He said, placing his right hand on her back and trying to ease her down into a kneeling position. She was sick, badly sick, but he couldn't cure this. Then his mind remembered something as he took his right hand and reached into her bag, pulling out the same bottle she drank from last night.
"Here, your medicine..." He said, trying to unplug the cork while holding it with his knees. After a moment he succeeded and raised the vial to her mouth, trying to help her drink it.
If she recovered enough to look, she would notice that they boy she had spent the last day with had a number of odd features. His right arm was scarred, likely from a blade, but that was the lesser of the features, since he didn't have any left arm at all.
His appearance was far from his thoughts though as he tried to help Jya with her medicine.
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Post by Jya on Oct 22, 2009 16:45:30 GMT -6
Jya gulped down the vial, its effect slowly working into her body. She gave a final cough, before becoming awfully tired. She turned to Valorian, taking a quick note of the guy's features. He must have been through quite a bit, but thinking better, she didn't mention anything.
"Thanks, appreciate the help, its been awhile since the last time this happened," she said, before handing his pack to him.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Oct 22, 2009 18:20:09 GMT -6
Valorian took the pack from her hand but set it aside. Instead he looked over Jya. "Are you sure you are all right?" He asked concerned. "Take your time now, no need to rush. We can rest as long as you need." Perhaps the toll of the journey yesterday was too much for the girl, she may have forced herself for his sake, so he'd need to take more caution from now on.
Instead, he remained kneeling at her side, awaiting a sign that she would be able to even stand under her own power.
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Post by Jya on Oct 22, 2009 18:38:43 GMT -6
"No, no...don't worry, it happens all the time!" Jya exclaimed trying to make the situation more optimistic than it should. Than she realized her mistake about this happening so frequently... Right...
"I mean, I'm used to it, I've had this sickness since I was born, so I'm just grateful to be alive. I promise I won't be much more of a burden," she continued, steadily balancing herself to stand alone. Her uselessness was one thing she never tolerated, not anymore! From than on, she was not going to be a burden or less of one.
"I think we should head out now, feel much better after the medicine," another lie escaped her mouth.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Oct 22, 2009 19:00:24 GMT -6
Valorian arched an eyebrow, but decided to let the girl keep her pride. He then realized that he was missing his cloak, and what that meant. He turned from her and mumbled about going to get it, retreating to the stream. He returned a few moments later, with the cloak in the same position as he clutched his staff.
"Well then, we should continue on. But let's take it slow ok? No need to break ourselves before we reach our destination, then we won't be able to help anyone."
He looked to the north and his expression fell. He pointed with his staff. "What do you see there?" He said pointing to the horizon. Looking hard would reveal a small trail of dark smoke from far away, almost at the limit of the horizon.
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Post by Jya on Oct 22, 2009 19:39:47 GMT -6
"Alright sounds fair," Jya replied not wanting to sound pushy. Shaking her head, she tried to find a reason on how this situation came to be. A normal or slightly normal travel ended up with chasing after an army. When Valorian pointed towards the pillar of smoke, she realized how far they had gotten already. That could very well be the army this guy was chasing after. After a few seconds, her eyes fixated on the smoke, it became apparent how truly minuscule she was. Yet this boy felt that he could go against an entire army?
"So...lets check it out?" she replied questionably and started to walk towards that fire.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Oct 22, 2009 20:26:45 GMT -6
Valorian nodded. "We need to be stealthy. We can't get involved if they are still there, it's too dangerous. We should advance slowly to insure that we have plenty of time to observe it."
He looked about one last time. "All right then. Stay behind me, you're still not 100%. I'll take point." He said as he slowly began to approach the plume of smoke. There weren't any signs of people in the immediate area, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Just hidden.
"Tell me if you see anything, I'm counting on you to watch the flank." He added in.
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Post by Jya on Oct 22, 2009 20:37:13 GMT -6
Jya nodded to Valorian's orders and used her hands in a zipping motion over her mouth. She followed as stealthy and aware as she could. It had been awhile since she had been careful, but she did her best. There didn't seem to be much other than the wind. The silence was what ticked her off, what about the animals of the plain? She continued to peer over her shoulders, hoping just enough that they won't get too much of a mess.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Oct 23, 2009 20:35:23 GMT -6
The two reached the small village without incident, and it was an odd scene. Blood and bodies, to be expected, but only one small farm house was ablaze, that had been what caused the smoke they had seen.
What was more puzzling to Valorian were the prints. They weren't the thick, solid prints of metal gr eaves, no they were a softer material, like a common man's leather. He pointed this out to Jya. "Look. There were no soldiers here...so bandits?" A quick glance around the town shot that down, slain women littered the streets, with more then a few deserted shop fronts and scattered coin purses. "No...but what came through here? It's like the people here just destroyed themselves..."
He looked about the carnage, and then resolved that he would find no survivors here. "We should take a look around...something isn't right here. There were no soldiers here, not even a sign of any real battle, but there was a massacre, and it was last night."
So what could kill a whole village without leaving any signs?
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Post by Jya on Oct 23, 2009 21:00:03 GMT -6
The area wasn't anything the girl was prepared for. The bodies that surrounded the village, the chilling silence... This massacre couldn't have been done by humans, could it? Sure, Jya had seen blood and death everywhere, yet this was on completely new scale than what she was used to. Looking around, there seemed to be no more signs of life, only a morbid silence that seemed to gnaw at her heart. When Valorian spoke, her heart leaped a beat and literally caused her to jump back in fright. Though no matter her discomfort or fright, she didn't dare utter a shriek or scream.
“As far as I can tell, seems like...truthfully I don't know, this is my first time seeing this sort of...thing,” she replied, her voice shaken quite a bit. Than who wouldn't be? Perhaps the two of them could be hallucinating or...no, this was all too real. The sight and smell was pungent enough for her senses to say, this was what she is experiencing like it or not. Part of her begged for hope, that whatever killed these people weren't around here to tear the two of them apart.
Resisting an urge to cling to her companion, she simply asked,”We're not going to end up like them are we?”
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