One Spark (open)

[Rixsch Flare]

The Sacaen plains. A place filled with rolling green hills, warm and friendly nomadic tribes, and the like. Rixsch was in these plains, travelling up a large hill, scanning the horizon every few minutes. He sighed deeply, pictures of his parents passing through his mind. He had only found out recently that they had passed away, kidnapped by a group of cowardly brigands. "Mom, Dad... I'll make ya proud, I'll do something good to this world. I know I will." Rixsch muttered to himself. The sunlight beating down on Rixsch was beginning to get rather uncomfortable "ugh, you wouldn't think it'd be this hot out today. Then again, its probably due to my height. Heat rises, doesn't it?"
As soon as he said this, he came across a lonely oak tree, much to Rixsch's delight. He sat down, leaning up against the tree's trunk, and took out a small map. He looked over it and then narrowed his eyes "aw, crap, I'm off the damn map." He sighed once again "looks like I'm just gonna have to follow the wind, as per freakin' usual."

[Midori]

Midori stretched her arms up into the sky and gave a light yawn. She had been out most of the morning running errands between tiny villages across the plains. The healers of her temple were always in high demand and as part of her training she would go from village to village aiding those who needed it. As a novice healer Midori couldn't heal major life threatening injuries, but she could heal minor ones. Her mentor a Valkyrie, rode along side her. Her horse Ashes gave a neigh as it slowly guided itself towards one of the Rhine River's tiny branch streams. Midori gently tugged on the reigns in order to keep her horse from moving away from her mentor. Midori gave the creature an affectionate pat on it's side.

"I know it's been a long ride.." She spoke softly to her grey horse. It's been really hot too.

Midori then turned over and spoke to her mentor. A blonde haired, older woman who wore light armor with no crest. Midori knew very little about her mentor, however the woman was a fantastic medic, decent with her magic, and she had sworn her loyalty to her tribe. Which meant that what ever life she had before joining the tribe had been discarded.

"Milady Lucy. May we take a moment to rest by the stream?"

Lady Lucy nodded and gently guided her chestnut brown horse over by the water. The pair of them eventually dismounted off their respective horses and rested by the river side. Midori let out a soft sigh as she began to freshen up with the cold water. Ashes seemed to enjoy the brief reprieve enough to let out loud neigh.

[Rixsch Flare]

"Milady Lucy, may we take a moment to rest by the stream?" A feminine voice broke the quiet of nature around Rixsch.

He looked up from the map, furrowing his eyebrows, before standing up and brushing the dirt from his trousers. He peered behind the tree, taking care to not be seen. He saw that there was a flowing stream, with small stones scattered across it, probably used by travellers to cross the stream without getting wet. Next to the stream were two women, both of them leading horses to the stream. Rixsch noticed that only one of them carried any kind of weapon, however, both of them carried staves.

"Troubadours? No, one of them is carrying a tome. Strange, I would think most healers would be with a larger group of people..." Rixsch muttered to himself. He thought about asking them for directions, but then became aware of his... Less than impressive physique.

"This is most likely a trap. No way a pair of virtually unarmed units would cross this place. They'd be robbed within a heartbeat!" Rixsch continued to mutter.
He looked in the direction he was travelling, down the other side of the tall hill. He could creep to the edge of the hill, however, any person that wasn't mentally ill would be able to spot Rixsch from a good way off, as he stuck out like a sore thumb with his mostly red clothing. "Aw, crap, crap, crap, Rixsch. Think! Think!" He muttered louder, thumping his hands into his head. " I am so not up for a fight right now..." Rixsch sighed "I'm probably already surrounded. What do I do now?"

Rixsch peered back towards the two women. They seemed to have let their horses drink from the stream. The way they were just acting naturally almost seemed fake to Rixsch. "No, I must not let a bunch of slightly clever bandits get the best of me. I cam do this."

[Midori]

Midori continued to freshen herself up. Lady Lucy was being as vigilant as always. She knew the dangers of two women riding out alone on the plains. However the nearest village was close by, just over the next hill. It was a small village from one of their own tribe. The both of them knew the area well and for the most part they were relatively safe. But Lady Lucy had spotted the stranger staring at them from the hill side.

"It seems we have an admirer.." The Valkyrie gave a soft smirk. Midori wiped away the excess water off of her face with a plain cloth.

"We have a what?" Midori turned her head up to see the red clad man up on the hill. The Valkyrie fired off a small warning shot of magic towards the man on the hill. She missed deliberately and made sure the blast of light magic hit the tuft of grass below him.

"It is rude to spy on women!" The Valkyrie yelled out towards the red clad stranger. Midori gave a light chuckle. She gathered herself up and got back up onto her horse. Off in the distance she spotted some black trails of smoke coming from the direction of the village. The trails of smoke were too numerous and too large to be simple cook fires. Midori gently tugged on Lady Lucy's sleeve and pointed out the smoke lines. The Valkyrie gave a light scoff, the trails of smoke had distracted her from giving the red clad stranger a few more verbal lessons in politeness. The pair of them started to make their way away from the stream and towards the smoke in the distance.

[Rixsch Flare]

"It is rude to spy on women!" The older woman shouted out, before opening a tome and sending a ball of light magic towards Rixsch. He jumped backwards in fright, biting his tongue to not scream out. He knew not to look weak in front of his adversary, as it will cause them to think himself easy pickings. The more threatening you look, the more likely they are to be intimidated and run away.

He reached for the sword strapped to his side. Sweat rolled down his face as he spoke "a-a b-bandit that knows magic?! How did they-? There's no way... A bandit usually doesn't have anywhere near enough intelligence for mag-" Rixsch was cut off by the smell of smoke filling his nostrils.

He continued to sniff the air, looking for the general direction it was coming from "I know nomads usually cook over open fires, but this smell is far too strong for it to just to be a cooking fire..." He muttered to himself, turning around and noticing the small village in the distance with a plume of smoke billowing up into the sky. "Oh, Gods." Rixsch muttered to himself. The sight brought back painful memories.

His eyes locked onto the village with determination, mixed with a large amount of rage. "No way am I letting this happen to anyone else on my damn watch. You know what? Screw these lot of bandits, I have more important things to save." Rixsch said before drawing his sword "besides, I'm sure I could just barrel right through them."

Rixsch ran down the hill, stumbling slightly at the steep incline. Once on flat land, he ran towards the village, leaping over stray tufts of grass and bushes that only wanted to get in his way "I will not allow it. I will not allow it." Rixsch chanted to himself as he sped towards the village.

[Midori]

Both women made their way into the small village. It seemed that there had been a bandit attack of some sort. Midori wasn't sure what was going on but she could see the bodies of her tribesmen laying on the floor. Many of them wore similar colored garb, vestments of dark red or purple. A similar color to the plums that the tribe is known for cultivating. Lady Lucy promptly fired a blast of light magic towards one shirtless bandit whom was trying to make advances towards a village woman. The villager was able to pick up her fallen blade and finish the bandit thanks to Lucy's distraction.

Midori made her way to the edge of the village and began to heal the wounded. A man with a red headband and a large gash on his shoulder. Unable to draw his blade to help defend his people. Midori swiftly called upon the power of her staff to help mend the man's wound. The wound did not fully close, the gash was painful, and still red with fresh blood. But Midori managed to heal it enough for the man to regain use of his arm. He could continue the fight. She could fully heal the shoulder with a second round of staff work. But the man would not sit still enough to let her, he needed to keep fighting.

Midori gritted her teeth lightly, trying to stave off the light fatigue that was starting to creep up on her. It wasn't much now but she knew better. Battles like this would only cause more wounds.. which meant she needed to heal more. Calm. Another man made his way over to her, this time sporting a red vest with white trimming. He had a large gash on his leg. She gave the sir a soft smile. She began to concentrate once more.

[Rixsch Flare]

Rixsch finally reached the village, and looked around the desperate fighting. He gritted his teeth before looking down and noticing those that were already dead littering the ground. "Gods... I'm too late..." Rixsch muttered to himself, his rage rising faster than a Pegasus. He growled before hoisting his sword up onto his shoulder. "You lot are... Gonna pay..." Rixsch spoke practically under his breath, a lump in his throat growing. He looked for the nearest bandit and launched towards him, kicking him in the back before making a small cut on his shoulder.

The bandit turned around, looking at Rixsch with a bloodlust hanging in his eyes. The bandit spoke "haha, another wee lass comin' to the slaughter."
A cocky smile grew on Rixsch's face "wee? Lass? On both counts you are incorrect. But you are correct about the slaughter, except I am not the livestock, you see."

Rixsch was the first to make a strike, jumping slightly before bringing his sword down in one swift motion. The slow axe-wielding bandit could not react fast enough, and received a long cut across his chest. The bandit grimaced momentarily, before raising his axe up and bringing it down onto Rixsch's sword. "Damn it... Not again..." Rixsch muttered, straining under the axe's weight.

Rixsch's eyes skimmed his surroundings 'what do I do this time?' He thought to himself, trying not to panic. The axe was growing heavier on him. Soon it will slice right through him. "There's only one thing I can do here. This is gonna hurt." Rixsch spoke to himself, before stepping out out from under the axe, allowing it to fall on his left shoulder. He let out a scream, before the axe was dragged out of the new wound.

"hahaha, wee lass has a wee wound now, eh?" The bandit spoke, hoisting the axe splattered in Rixsch's blood onto his shoulder.

Rixsch was now angrier than ever, the pain in his shoulder a smaller matter than the shirtless man before him "you..." Rixsch growled "you... You BASTARD!" Rixsch launched towards the burly man, attacking with quick, shallow cuts. The man was bewildered, partly due to his lackluster intelligence, but he soon regained his composure and grabbed Rixsch by the scruff of his neck "A troublesome little piggey, ain't ye?"

[Sashay]

the beginning of Sashay's journey had taken him East to the plains of Sacae.Exhausted from walking he had decided to befriend a small caravan that eventually setup shop in a small village to rest and gain supplies for further travels. While resting in a nearby tent he heard a commotion outside. He was confused at first, thinking that it was just a local scrap that would be finished quickly, however when the screams started he knew that it was something far far worse. With his short tattered robe dusted off and a flux tome in his hand he stepped outside to see what was wrong. When he looked outside his suspicions were confirmed, bandits were sacking the village. Upon taking a second glance he noticed two women along with a man in red fighting them. Wondering how he could use this to his advantage the man in red began attacking one of the bandits, he was hit on the shoulder, but it didn't seem to serious. That all changed of course when the bandit had the young swordsman by the neck, his chance had come. Sashay opened his tome and focused on the bandit, silently muttering the words in the his tome. Darkness pooled above his head and into a ball before sinking into the ground, only to recollect itself around the thief and hitting it's mark dead center. "Apologies for the interruption, but it looked like you were in quite the spot." Sashay said as he walked out of the tent with his flux tome still open in his hand.

[Rixsch Flare]

Rixsch struggled against the bandit's grasp, kicking and swinging his sword violently. "Hahaha! This wee piggey is a feisty one!"

Rixsch opened his mouth to speak, before noticing a dark purple ball erupt from the ground and hit the bandit's stomach, causing him to let go of Rixsch and keel over.

Rixsch stepped back, slightly stunned from the unfamiliar magic. A boy stepped towards him, dressed in tattered robes, that probably didn't originally belong to him. "Apologies for the interruption, but it looked like you were in quite the spot."
Rixsch smiled "yeah, I guess I was, thanks." Rixsch said to the boy, scratching the back of his head. "Looks like we still got a few more of these little buggers to get." He looked at the boy "if you're gonna help, I say keep behind me, you don't look like the sort that can take many hits from one of those axes." He turned around, before looking back at the boy "what's your name, anyway?"

[Sashay]

"I am Sashay of Etruria" he said, closing his book and revealing his black gloves, one of which shined a purple gem that shined in the hot sun. "Lets drive this lot off together, and don't worry I'll keep your flank covered." Upon finishing his sentence Sashay joined the mysterious trio. "Though I've gotta ask, who are you three anyway?" the young pupil said. "You don't look like any of the other people from the plains."

[Rixsch Flare]

"I am Sashay of Etruria" the young boy said before closing the tome he held and revealing the black gloves he wore, one of which had a purple gem on the back, which glittered in the sun. "Though, I've gotta ask, who are you three anyway?"

"Three?" Rixsch questioned Sashay, before noticing the two girls fighting against the rest of the bandits "those two... Heh, guess I was wrong about them being bandits. That's good I guess." He muttered to himself before turning back to Sashay, and speaking "I don't know who those two are, but I am Rixsch Flare. I am from Caelin. I'm just wandering the lands, looking for a purpose. You know how it is."
Rixsch then tilted his head slightly "then again, you're probably too young to need to do all that stuff." He said, almost ironically, as he wasn't exactly considered an adult. He lifted his sword up, towards the group of bandits being fought by the two women "now, I believe it is back to business. Remember- don't get into any unnecessary danger."

Rixsch ran towards one of the bandits, bringing his sword horizontally across the bandit's back.

"Oi, 'oo did tha'?" The brigand spoke, turning slowly towards Rixsch. "Looks like we got another one, lads! She's an ugly one, though."

Rixsch sighed, raising his sword to the face of the brigand "I do not get this weird pattern of you criminals thinking I am female. You also think I am not pleasing to the eye? Ha! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black."
"Why, you li'l..." The brigand began to walk towards Rixsch, raising his axe above his head.

[Midori]

The Valkarie was doing well in pushing back the banits along with a small group of the Sacean defenders. THose who were wounded were starting to get their "second wind" thanks to both Midori and Lady Lucy's healing. Lucy and her horse carefully put themselves to the rear of the group. Lucy's reigns were the same purple color of plums signifying her association to the tribe. She was one of them and she would live and die along side them if need be.

Again Midori channeled the power of her spirit towards the orb atop her staff. The warm light managed to help the man in the red vest with his leg wound. Just like the man with the shoulder injury, this wound wasn't fully mended. But it was enough for them man to walk again.. with a limp. The man grabbed his bow and rejoined the fighting. Midori let out a bit of a sigh. A bandit had managed to sneak up behind her. However Ashes could sense the thread and managed to use her back legs to kick the man. Midori quickly turned the horse around so she could see the bandit who was now suffering with a broken rib.

A female nomad finished the job of killing the bandit with a pitchfork. She had red gloves on.

"Thank you." Midori spoke. The nomad nodded and kept close to the troubadour. Near her was the stranger from the hills and another person she did not recognize. The little shaman wasn't wearing red which meant he wasn't one of their tribe. But he was defending the stranger from the hillside. A bandit had his axe over his head and was about to strike the red clad man from the hills. From her bag Midori grabbed a horseshoe and threw it at the bandit's head. It hit with a small thunk, enough to distract the bandit so the red clad man could strike.. possibly.

[Rixsch Flare]

Rixsch got ready to defend against yet another axe, but, instead of the axe clashing with his blade, a projectile flew from a different area of the battlefield, and hit the bandit in the head with a satisfying thud. The projectile rolled along the floor and bumped Rixsch's foot.

"A horseshoe?" Rixsch said to himself.
"Oi! Tha' bloody 'urt! 'oo was tha'?" The bandit spoke, turning to the direction that the horseshoe came in.
Rixsch laughed quietly to himself, "heh, it's an unorthodox method, but a distraction nonetheless."
Rixsch used the distraction to his advantage, attacking with two diagonal slashes and a horizontal slash, each slash deeper than the next. He then kicked the bandit in the stomach, sending it to the ground. As the bandit lay on the ground, practically stunned from the unusual methods of attack, Rixsch loomed over him. He held his sword over the bandit's chest. "So, what shall it be? Will you abandon your weapon and flee, or will you continue with this futile fighting?"
The bandit opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, a laugh came from behind Rixsch "need some 'elp there, mate?" Spoke the same voice from behind Rixsch. Rixsch jumped out of the way, just in time to not be hit by a large axe coming down behind him.
"Sashay? I thought you were watching my back!"

[Sashay]

Sashay quickly opened his flux tome and muttered the ancient words. The darkness collects itself above his head yet again before sinking into the earth, only to reappear and collect near the still standing bandit's head and burst, overwhelming , and knocking him unconscious. "S-sorry about that" he said as he kept his eyes open to look for any other dangers. "I'll try to keep my eyes open, but for know lets just get to our comrades. If I recall there's strength in numbers." he said as he used flux again on a nearby bandit archer, though before flux could hit it's mark the bandit left off of the building and ran off towards his fellow brigands. He ran towards Rixsch after picking up the thrown horseshoe and handing it to him. "Here, I think our healers will need this back soon." Suddenly Sashay cast flux on the downed bandit, knocking him out cold "Hehe well I wouldn't want to take any chances."

[Rixsch Flare]

Rixsch watched as Sashay used his tome to drop a lot of dark goop over the bandit that snuck up on Rixsch, knocking him out easily. He then walked up to the one Rixsch had grounded, also knocking him out. "I'll try to keep my eyes open, but for know lets just get to our comrades. If I recall there's strength in numbers." Sashay spoke, as he used his enigmatic tome once again on another bandit, this one being an archer, though before the magic could meet its mark the bandit leapt off of the building and ran off towards his comrades. Sashay ran towards Rixsch after picking up the thrown horseshoe and handing it to him. "Here, I think our healers will need this back soon."

Rixsch took the horseshoe, and placed it in his pouch. "I think they probably have bigger things to worry about, but I'll return it just the same. Anyway, you think there is strength in numbers, and I shall have to agree, as, frankly, that other woman looks much more... Adept at fighting than myself."

After speaking, Rixsch began to walk at a quick pace across the battlefield, toward where the two women were, one fighting off several brigands, and another healing the wounded. It was at this point, Rixsch remembered the cut in his shoulder. He reached for the wound as it begun to have a burning sensation. He grimaced, and continued walking, checking behind him every so often to make sure Sashay was not lagging too far behind.

Rixsch then noticed a bandit getting increasingly closer to the troubadour, slowly raising his axe.
Rixsch ran at full pelt, holding his blade outwards "Oh no ya don't!" He spoke, as he slashed horizontally across the bottom of the brigand's back.
"I'm having to aggravate a lot of bandits today..." Rixsch muttered to himself, before holding his blade towards the brigand "have at thee, lowly scum."