Kyra
Myrmidon
A girl from Lucerne trying to find her place in the world.
Posts: 104
Profession: Wanderer/Mercenary
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Dark
Profile: ~Kyra~
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Post by Kyra on Jul 27, 2017 13:32:45 GMT -6
Spurring Starchaser on, Kyra rode as fast as she could back to roughly the same location she'd left Lunie at. Knowing that the cavalier's horse was likely still waiting just beyond the thickets, Kyra tried to bring herself where it would likely be. Fortunately for her, she found it fairly easily once she rounded the densely forested area. Unfortunately, however, the bandit was already starting to climb onto his horse, which was whinnying as he did so. Think fast, Kyra.. If he's on there, we may not be able to outrun him. There's a chance, but no guarantee...
Leading Starchaser closer and closer, Kyra led her clear past the cavalier, shouting at the top of her lungs as she rode. "Lunie! I'm here Lunie! Hurry!" Almost on his horse now, the cavalier turned to Kyra as she rode by, smirking as he drew his lance. As it let out a whinny, he turned his own horse around, preparing to charge at Kyra and Starchaser. Oh damn.. Well, I did expect this kind of thing, I suppose. I just hope Lunie is close enough by that I can try to dodge the bandit, then pull her up onto Starchaser before he gets a chance to do a second pass...
Witn the cavalier now charging, Kyra came up with a quick plan as he got closer. Taking out the vulnerary that Lunie had placed on her, she dumped out the healing liquid inside as quick as it would flow, something that would seem insane until she made her next action. Just as the cavalier's lance was about to strike her, Kyra ducked just below it, leading Starchaser closer to the thicket just after chucking the empty vulnerary at the bandit's horse with her good arm. Despite never having done anything like this, the glass container still hit the large body of the horse, shattering on impact, leaving some of the shards of glass stuck inside the horses abdomen, causing blood to flow out and the horse to grow moderately panicked.
Huh, that actually worked... Guess the horse isn't used to much pain... That may have been just what we needed... Now, please... Hurry Lunie...
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Jul 28, 2017 9:08:20 GMT -6
What had she done? The huntress had a chance to at least try to stop the cavalier, but she had taken the situation for granted. Starchaser was a fast horse, but would she be fast enough to escape a trained rider? That made her worry more. She couldn’t wait out in the open like this anymore. Moving back into the rough again, she tried to find a way to line up a hot on the bandit with her bow. When Kyra returned, they’d need an edge against this guy. A rumbling from behind gave early warning to the novice’s approach, but it wasn’t just the red-haired archer that heard it. “Oi, luks lahk yeh frand’s tryna mehks lahk a heeruh ey? Tahm fer a bitta chessin’ heh heh heh..”
Her nerves creeping up her her, Selunae finally found a clear shot and after steadying her shaky hands she released the drawn bowstring. The projectile zipped through the leaves, piercing the night air with precision. Just as the arrow was to strike, the cavalier shifted, leaving the arrow to strike the riding tack harmlessly. A second later, the bandit pulled the arrow free and all was just as if she had never fired at all, aside from her being one arrow lighter. The sound of the approaching white horse galloped by the trees as the smell of smoke began to permeate the area. A quick glance confirmed the underbrush was ablaze, flames beginning to spread in her direction. Kyra couldn’t have picked a better time to show up. Well, maybe a tad bit earlier would have been nice, too. Hearing the swordswoman’s voice call out to her, she quickly stumbled her way back out to be found. “Over here! Over here!” Selunae waved her bow in the air like she just don’t care to signal her location, in case the novice didn’t see her right away.
The bandit was on the move, the horseman circling around to charge at Kyra. No no no, this was bad. The huntress hadn’t intended for things to go this way at all. She had to do something! She was stunned to see the novice dump the medicine and fling the empty vial at the horse. Why hadn’t she used it for her wound? Did the novice think so poorly of her as to spurn her assistance? She didn’t really have time to dwell on it, Kyra was making a pass and she only had this one chance to get on the horse before what little time was bought expired. Unfortunately, Kyra didn’t have enough strength to be of much assistance to the archer as she struggled to mount. Though the cavalier’s horse had reared back and threatened to throw its rider, Cabby had been able to hold on and calm his steed. Now Selunae was only halfway on the horse, clinging to the back of the saddle and struggling to pull herself the rest of the way up, but Cabby was already making his move to charge.
Without thinking things through completely – after all there was no time for that now – the huntress reached back with her left hand to slap Starchaser’s rear, shouting ‘Hyah!’ as she did so. Kyra wasn’t fully prepared for the sudden gallop, and Selunae certainly wasn’t ready for it. The huntress halfway lost her grip on the saddle, barely able to avoid falling off completely. The toes of her boots dragged the ground and she let out a long crescendo scream as further efforts still left her dangling off to the right from the side of the saddle. There was no stopping though. Cabby was in pursuit and if they even thought about slowing their pace, Selunae was likely to find a lance through her back. Another beautiful mess she had landed herself in.
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Kyra
Myrmidon
A girl from Lucerne trying to find her place in the world.
Posts: 104
Profession: Wanderer/Mercenary
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Dark
Profile: ~Kyra~
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Post by Kyra on Jul 28, 2017 19:56:09 GMT -6
It wasn't long before Kyra spotted Lunie, on part due to her waving and shouting, but also because of the growing illumination caused by the growing flames within the thicket. Damn, I need to hurry... Spurring Starchaser towards Lunie, Kyra was just about to grab her before the girl jumped on herself, just before the cavalier turned around for another attack, apparently having calmed his horse just enough. However, it was still left bleeding out of its side, and left the way it's was, would likely cause the horse to stop running entirely from exhaustion or blood loss. Kyra just hoped that happened before the bandit had a chance to catch them.
Only being halfway on the horse, Lunie surprised Kyra as she slapped Starchaser into action, catching her off guard. She was still able to hold on once she got going, but she worried Lunie might fall off. At the same time, they couldn't risk the cavalier catching up to them, though it seemed they had a decent head start, as he hadn't expected them to move from where they had been so soon, but he was quickly turning his horse again to pursue them as they headed back towards Lucerne.
Not wanting to slow down for fear of Lunie becoming acquainted with the sharp end of the cavalier's lance, Kyra kept on going, trying to push Starchaser as best as she could. At the same time, she was still concerned with Lunie hanging onto the side, so she slowed ever so slightly in hopes that her friend could climb on the rest of the way before she attempted to speed up again.
(EDITS: Changed a decent portion of the latter half of the post to allow more room for a chase rather than just getting to Lucerne quicker.)
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Jul 29, 2017 14:37:47 GMT -6
As the huntress’s scream trailed off, she began to more desperately scrabble at the saddle to find a better grip to pull herself up. Straining to extend her reach, her grasping fingers struggled at various layers of the leather saddle as they sought any crevice or gap to fit into for gripping. With great effort, Selunae was finally able to pull her torso to the top of the horse, but since Kyra was slowing, Cabby was gaining again. As the other set of hooves thundered closer, the archer looked over her shoulder to the rear only to observe the cavalier dangerously close. Cabby didn’t have his lance at the ready this time. No, he seemed to have something different in mind. The huntress tried to motivate Starchaser with another slap to the rear, but it was to no avail – she was fatigued still from the hard riding she had endured when Selunae had fled Kyra and the others earlier. Having a second rider wasn’t improving the matter any either. “C’mon girl, y-you can do it! Please..”
As Cabby’s mount brought him parallel to the girls and Starchaser, his intentions became clear. Capture. Gripping tightly with his legs for balance and with one hand firmly on the reins, the bandit leaned to the side with his free arm extended to grab Selunae. He eased closer as Kyra tried to maintain enough distance to keep him at bay, but being a much more experienced rider he was easily able to outmaneuver them. The young archer, still struggling to hold on to the saddle, shifted her body sideways to try to find a way to stop him. It was too little too late – Cabby hand clasped around her left ankle with painful force, and he uttered a hideous laugh. “Ey, luks lahk Ah ween!” Desperation and panic took hold once more, the girl striking out with her other leg. Her boot smashed into Cabby’s arm repeatedly, though she wasn’t able to connect all that solidly. “Yeh thunks Ah’ma gunna letchas go so izly?” Finally, she lost her grip on the left side of the saddle and was dragged halfway off the horse, shrieking in panic. Now suspended between the two horses, the huntress had much more range of motion in her leg and threw a much more forceful kick, missing completely this time.
“Ugh! Get. Off. Me!” Feeling her other hand begin to slip, she gave her all in one final thrust. The cavalier had grown bolder and moved in for an attempt to drag her away completely, but he was repaid with a solid boot to the face. Selunae was released as the bandit clutched his hand to his now broken nose, but with barely any hold on Starchaser’s saddle the momentum of her legs dropping jerked her free of the saddle. Another scream echoed out into the countryside as her hands barely caught onto the stirrup, her legs now dragging along the dirt and grass. Cabby wasn’t incapacitated long, and was bent on vengeance to boot, now moving back in on the two with his lance to the side. With Selunae now completely defenseless, it was up to Kyra keep the cavalier at bay. Coming up along the right side as he was, he was forced to use his off hand to wield the lance. It put him at somewhat of a disadvantage, not used to bearing the heft of the pole on that side. It would be enough for him to exact his revenge on the dangling girl though. Compounding things further, Selunae was having a much harder time recovering while being dragged along the way she was. “Kyra..! I don’t.... think I can.... hold on.. Please.. help me..”
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Kyra
Myrmidon
A girl from Lucerne trying to find her place in the world.
Posts: 104
Profession: Wanderer/Mercenary
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Dark
Profile: ~Kyra~
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Post by Kyra on Jul 31, 2017 8:58:43 GMT -6
As the chase between the bandit and the two girls ensued, Kyra looked to the horizon, trying to see if she could spot Lucerne just barely in her sights, but she couldn't. More than likely it still remained a couple miles at minimum from where they were now. Not super long on horseback, but the matter was of course complicated when someone was losing their grip on the horse and there was also a lance need straight at her. Just as Kyra was about to help Lunie the rest of the way onto Starchaser, Kyra noticed the bandit trying to grab Lunie's leg, almost managing go pull her off, however Lunie seemed to manage getting a kick to his face eventually, though now her situation was even worse.
Now, the red haired girl was barely hanging into the saddle with one hand, in danger of falling off completely. Not only that, but the cavalier was preparing to make an attack from the side. Damn, just.. let up... please... As Kyra was beginning to decide what to prioritize, she took her sword out quickly, managing to spur Starchaser a but faster just long enough to pass up where the bandit had intended to make his attack, which he was committed to at this point. Whipping Starchaser around as fast as she physically would, Kyra took her sword and went for a jabbing attack, not attack the bandit, but the horse. Though it was on the same side where Kyra had splintered the glass vial, some shards of which were still in the horse and causing mild blood loss, Kyra now decided to stabbed sword into the horse's upper hind leg as hard as she could with her good arm. It may not have been the most powerful attack ever, but it left a decent wound, not too deep, but more severe than the glass shards, and definitely enough to hopefully make it second guess it's rider even more.
As Starchaser was stopped, and the rider and his horse were likely both recovering from the attack run, Kyra spun herself around a bit, putting her sword away and reaching her good arm towards Lunie. "Come on, let me help you up. I think that gave us just enough of an opening to get you up here and still have a slight lead... I hope."
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Aug 1, 2017 15:08:39 GMT -6
Being dragged across the path as she was, it was a tremendous effort just to hold on. Hanging so low left her little in the way of handholds to pull herself up, that is, unless she grabbed Kyra’s leg. If Selunae did that, it was more likely that the novice would be pulled from the saddle than the archer gaining any height in scaling the rigging. Pain shot through her leg as she was pulled across a rock that protruded from the ground, the huntress yelping in a gasp as the side of her right leg smashed into it. She had to pull herself up higher. Maybe she could just work her way up the stirrup slowly, hand over hand, until at least her legs were off the ground. Then Kyra would probably be able to help her up.
Just as Selunae reached one hand for a higher point on the stirrup, Kyra brought Starchaser around. It was definitely a low point in coordination between the two, the red-haired archer suddenly being slung sideways in a wide semicircle, panicked screaming scoring the maneuver with tension. Now clutching the stirrup in a white-knuckled death grip, the huntress made no further attempt to climb back up. It was a miracle that she hadn’t been thrown. As she recollected her senses, she found herself being pulled towards Cabby, who was still persisting despite having his nose broken. Injured rider on an injured horse, neither relenting more than the other, or so it seemed until his horse disobeyed intentions at the last second. It was that moment, along with the bandit’s focus on Selunae that, gave Kyra moment of opportunity to more severely injure the hindquarters where the glass had struck. What had been a relatively superficial wound was now a long gash steeped in blood that jeopardized Cabby’s pursuit.
Just like that, everything stopped. Selunae slid to a stop and she let go, lying prone in the dirt gasping for breath. It didn’t occur to her immediately that she should get up, nothing was occurring to her in the time frame of the immediate at this point. Everything just seemed to be a blur, and it was only after she rolled over onto her back and noticing Kyra reaching down to her that the archer realized that she was being spoke to. There was a blank confusion in her eyes at first, but reality caught up to her quickly when Kyra’s eyes darted to the angry cavalier. Using Kyra’s hand for leverage, the archer slowly made her way off the ground and into the saddle, but with her back to Kyra and facing the rear. “O-okay.. I’m.. I’m fine n-now, I think. Let’s.... get movin’ before...” Her voice trailed off as the rest of her sentence actually unfolded before her eyes, the horse-borne bandit already spurring his wounded steed into a charge against the two girls, now sitting ducks. “Kyra!”
There was no time to ready her bow for a shot – not really much time for anything else either – so the archer dug into her pack and grabbed the first thing she found, an apple. It was a bit of a gamble but Selunae put her strength into the throw, catching the horse in the side of his nose. The horse came to an abrupt halt and reared back again, Cabby barely able to hold on this time. Go figure that the one time he didn’t take the extra few minutes to fit the barding onto his horse would be the time that it actually made a difference. All over this ‘nuthin’ of two girls too. When this was over it’d just mean another horse for the stew pot, a shame really – he’d liked this horse. That white horse though, it’d make a suitable replacement when he gutted those stupid girls. He’d been asked to bring them back alive, but accidents happen and it wouldn’t matter in the end anyway. “Oi, git moovin’ yeh stuppid harse!”
With Starchaser galloping again, Kyra was able to put a little distance between herself and Cabby, though his determination only partially manifested itself in the efforts of his horse. He was pushing the horse far beyond its abilities in a last ditch effort for vengeance. Selunae readied her bow as the horseman slowly gained ground on them, reaching back for an arrow. Her hand was met with only two arrows remaining in the quiver, the rest now strewn about the road between here and Bonerock. She had to make them count. Nocking the first of them, she tried to keep not only the bow steady but herself as well. It was very different than taking aim while on foot, and despite having tried before, it didn’t become any easier now than it had been then. As she released the arrow, her aim had been off by a bit. Her warning earlier had stuck with the cavalier though, and thankfully he hadn’t realized yet that Selunae's questionable skills with a bow were nonexistent on horseback. He veered off as she fired and though she would have missed terribly either way, Cabby credited his skillful riding as the reason.
Selunae didn’t waste the opportunity to line up a second, final shot. The cavalier once more was focused on closing that gap and claiming that white horse as his new mount. He had no concern for the one he now rode beyond whether or not it would make good stew, he would push this horse for as long as it took to catch them with no fear of permanent injury to it. The huntress desperately tried to make sure this final arrow would make the difference the two girls needed, and as she released it she was crestfallen as it sailed high and to the side, missing even worse than the first had. The cavalier once again swept to the side, giving the archer entirely too much credit, not seeming to realize that he’d have been too late to dodge the arrow had it been on target. Slinging the bow back over her back, Selunae hoped that Starchaser could hold out long enough for the other horse to lose the strength to keep up.
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Kyra
Myrmidon
A girl from Lucerne trying to find her place in the world.
Posts: 104
Profession: Wanderer/Mercenary
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Dark
Profile: ~Kyra~
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Post by Kyra on Aug 3, 2017 18:11:13 GMT -6
He's mad! He must actually be completely insane! His horse is bleeding out by the minute, and yet he still tries to pursue us. Does he have a death wish, for himself or the horse? Maybe both? Ugh, well, Lunie is safely on Starchaser now. Time to move! Gripping the reins yet again, Kyra spurred Starchaser back in the direction of Lucerne, and as she did so, she heard Lunie firing off a few arrows behind her. She wasn't going to risk looking over her shoulder, but by the sound of things, none of the projectiles made their mark. Kyra's eyes remained dead set on the horizon, hoping that the city would begin appearing sooner than later.
As she felt Starchaser reaching her limit in regards to speed, she heard sounds of pain from the horse behind them. Now deciding to glance back for a split second, she could see that the horse was slowing down, actively struggling against its rider's commands and threatening to throw him off. Eventually, with one strong buck, the cavalier fell onto the ground near the horse, scrambling to avoid the hoofsteps of the creature as it went about its struggle while bleeding out, ironically worsened by the constant struggling. Just as it seemed about to fall over, it made accidental eye contact with its former rider, whom it had tolerated more than actually respected. Some sense of anger seemed to come over the horse briefly as it must have realized that, at least in some simplistic mindset, it's rider was the cause of the excessive pain it was feeling. Getting ready to do a slow run, the cavalier tried getting up to run away, but aways he scrambled and crawled on the ground, the large animal was upon him, lifting up one of its hooves to bring down on the man's back.
Cabby's scream was blood-curtling, echoing through the woods as the heavy hoof of the nearly dead horse began crushing his spine. As this happened, he felt the weight worsen as the horse, no longer able to stand, collapsing on him, smashing his back further and preventing him from crawling away in any manner. Turning his head slightly, he watched as the two girls, who he thought would be easy pickings, rode off towards Lucerne. As his eyes began to glaze over, Cabby coughed up a fair bit of blood onto the dirt around him, a single tear leaving his eye. It wasn't a tear for his horse, nor for feeling remorse for his actions in life, especially this night. No, it was the tear of a man who didn't want to die, something that even the most vile of people still feel. By the time the tear fell down his face and hit the ground, Cabby had already left the land of the living.
Riding on, Kyra spoke up once they were well pit of earshot of the bandit's death screams. "I-I think we're okay now Lunie... It's over... Let's.. let's finally go home now."
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Aug 5, 2017 7:49:33 GMT -6
Though Kyra couldn’t see it, Selunae was able to see the pained desperation in the horse’s eyes as Cabby furiously whipped it with the excess of the reins. The bandit hadn’t stopped there – he brutally smashed the heels of his boots into the horse’s sides with excessive force as well. There truly was no concern or compassion in this man’s treatment of the poor stallion. How could someone be so cruel to an animal they relied on so much? It pained the huntress to witness such atrocity, especially when there was nothing she could do about it but look on in sorrow. The poor horse deserved so much better than this callous fool in the saddle. It was terrible! The archer made a silent vow to always protect Starchaser from ever suffering such abuse as this.
Something changed. It all happened so swiftly. One moment, the raving cavalier was slowly gaining on them and the next, he began to rapidly lose ground. It seemed the threshold of endurance had finally been exceeded. Cabby refused to accept the reality of it. The bandit began shouting obscenities, his dialect growing so thick and his voice so vehement that the huntress couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was saying. The girl hadn’t imagined it possible, but the bandit intensified his mistreatment of the horse even further than what she had already observed, actually beating the horse with his fist in his final attempt to motivate the horse. It proved to be a fatal mistake. The steed reared back and then began to buck and kick in an attempt to relieve itself of the unworthy rider. This time the cavalier was hurled from the saddle and landed painfully on his back. His arm shattered from the impact of his elbow on the ground, a high pitched cry ringing out as Selunae looked on in disbelief.
What happened next was truly poetic justice. The horse actually turned on the man, bringing its hooves forcefully down into Cabby’s back as he rolled over painfully and made a fruitless effort to crawl away. The scream of pain was excruciating to hear, and the young archer was forced to cover her eyes, unable to watch anymore. She wept, not for the ruthless bandit that finally got what was coming to him, but for the pain the horse had endured. When she finally looked back, the horse had already collapsed and didn’t seem to be moving anymore. To her it was a true tragedy on par with everything else she had seen and endured this night. None of this was right! Devon, the hunters, the death of the poor horse, none of it was right! It enraged her, yet all she had the energy to do was cry. So useless. She was truly useless!
As the sight faded into the distance, Selunae managed to get herself turned around in the saddle. Plaintively sobbing, the archer wrapped her arms around the novice’s midsection and buried her face in the girl’s back. She didn’t want to deal with any of the events of this night anymore. It was too much for her. The simple joys of the afternoon seemed like a completely different life from the one she felt trapped in now. She felt as if reality itself had shattered and left behind a husk of what her life should have been. How could this be real? It couldn’t be real. Please, someone.. anyone.. she pleaded mentally for anyone to tell her that it was just a bad dream. That all she had to do is wake up. That everything was okay. That this wasn’t her fault. She didn’t know how to fix any of this anymore. She thought this had been the right thing to do. Her old life was shattered and none of the pieces seemed to fit together anymore. Gods, someone, please help!
“Kyra.. what h-h-have I d-done....?”
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Kyra
Myrmidon
A girl from Lucerne trying to find her place in the world.
Posts: 104
Profession: Wanderer/Mercenary
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Dark
Profile: ~Kyra~
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Post by Kyra on Aug 7, 2017 23:01:47 GMT -6
As the two girls rode on, Kyra could feel Lunie's arms wrap around her waist. She seemed distressed, starting to cry and talk about what had happened as being her fault. Still unwilling to stop, but slowing just a bit since Lucerne was starting to come into view on the horizon, Kyra spoke up to address Lunie's statement. "Lunie, hush.. You're talking like you're the cause of what happened tonight. You couldn't have known about Devon's betrayal, just like I couldn't have. And you may have ran away from us, which was indeed a reckless thing, but I understand why you did, and even though it put us in danger, you have to look at the bright side. You and I did get away, and even though Alphonz was badly hurt, Ito seems very capable, so I'm sure they were both able to get away too. It seemed they were more focused on you and I anyways. Now please, don't beat yourself up for what transpired tonight..."
As Lucerne became larger and larger as Starchaser carried the girls there, Kyra took one hand off the reins and put it around Lunie's in a comforting manner. "Neither of us should have had to endure what we did tonight, but we did, and hopefully we can become stronger because of it. But for now, I think it's alright to cry. I'm guessing your mother wouldn't be too happy seeing us so beat up. If you want, I'm sure my mother won't mind us both staying at my house for the night, or a few nights, as we recover. How does that sound?" Kyra honestly didn't know which option Lunie would go with, but she hoped she would choose to go home with her so that she wouldn't have to feel alone, even if that was a selfish reason, and so that she'd have a shoulder to cry on that understood what had happened this night.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Aug 10, 2017 11:12:55 GMT -6
The huntress couldn’t readily agree with her friend this time. Selunae was absolutely the cause of everything that happened tonight. She felt responsible for it all. Even the wolf. “You sh-shouldn’t have come after me.. Even if.. Even if I d-died, I would’ve deserved it f-for all the t-trouble and heartache I’ve c-caused everyone. How c-can I face them now? I can’t fix any of it K-Kyra.. I don’t know what t-to do now. I wanted to b-be a hero, b-but I c-can’t even save myself. I d-don’t know how t-to help anybody..” What was she saying? Did she really want to atone for her failures with her life? This wasn’t like her to think such things. She felt like such an idiot. The archer needed to be strong for Kyra, not this blubbering fool that her emotions had melted her into. She wasn’t sure how to though. Gods she wasn’t sure how to be strong this time. All she had wanted was for her family and friends to be proud of her, but just look at the wreck she'd became.
The girls’ proximity to Lucerne eluded the huntress, but the slowing of the horse told her that she might be getting close. So long as everyone made it back to Lucerne in one piece, she could at least find some comfort in not costing anyone their lives. Devon wouldn’t be returning though. Selunae still had no idea what to feel over his betrayal and death. Why did it have to be that way? The remorseful archer squeezed the novice tighter as Kyra took the younger girl’s hand in her own. The swordswoman’s words struck true with the huntress this time. She needed to hear these things for reassurance. Reassurance that somehow, someway, things would find a way to work out. That it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t work out. Selunae pondered whether or not to accept her friend’s offer of a place to lay low. She knew her mother would panic the moment she learned what happened, but Elle had been right to try to prevent the pair from embarking on this fool’s journey in the first place. No matter how the huntress looked at it, she’d been wrong and her mother had been right. Except for throwing Kyra out, that is. Well, that decided the matter.
“You’re.. well, you’re right.. I g-guess if I d-didn’t feel the way I did, it’d make me some k-kinda monster or somethin’. I dunno... I think it’d b-be best to break things to my p-parents in the daytime, so let’s head to your house tonight.” The pitiful girl began to shake as her weeping intensified. “I c-can’t bear the t-thought of being alone tonight. P-promise that you w-won’t leave me..! P-please..!”
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Kyra
Myrmidon
A girl from Lucerne trying to find her place in the world.
Posts: 104
Profession: Wanderer/Mercenary
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Dark
Profile: ~Kyra~
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Post by Kyra on Aug 10, 2017 22:16:00 GMT -6
If I didn't feel the way I did, that'd make me some kinda monster or somethin'... Does that make me a monster..? Sure, I felt for Devon's death, as I still do, but that rider? He was heartless, cruel, inhumane, murderous... he surely didn't feel anything when he was driving that horse to its death... And yet, am I equally a monster for being satisfied with his death? The most I felt when I heard him dying was revulsion at the sound of his bones breaking, but now that he's actually dead? I don't think I could care less. Does this... does this make me just as bad as him..?
Bringing Starchaser to a complete halt for a moment, Kyra turned to give Lunie a quick hug. "Of course I won't leave you, Lunie, especially tonight. Now come on, let's get home. My mother is probably asleep, so we can just sneak off to my room. I'd hate to wake her up and have her concerned about what happened. I'd rather have to explain it to her in the morning." Spurring Starchaser on one last time, Kyra led the horse to the stables where she belonged, assuming Lunie didn't wish for her to do otherwise, but like before, she figured it'd be easier for the horse to just stay outside the city. Once Starchaser was properly nestled back in the stables, Kyra led Lunie back into the city proper, and through the dimly lit nighttime streets, until they arrived at her house yet again.
Slowly opening the door to her house, Kyra led Lunie upstairs. Luckily, her room was closer to the top of the stairs than her mother's, so they didn't have to worry about walking past her room and risk waking her up. Once inside her own room, Kyra began clearing some things off of her bed so that there was plenty of room for both of the girls. "Alright, so, uh, I guess if you're ready, we can just lay down now. I'm guessing you're as exhausted as I am after all of this... Unless there was something else you feel needs to be said before either of us start to drift off into sleep?"
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Aug 11, 2017 7:36:14 GMT -6
The trip through Lucerne had been a blur to Selunae. She’d hoped to find Alphonz and Ito safe. Even Chase would have been a sight for sore eyes at this point. Where was Chase anyway? He wasn’t even there with the others, though she was sure he had taken off after her when she tried to press onward alone. It was selfish of her, but she didn’t wait for anyone else to show up or make any effort to seek them out. No, she kept pace with Kyra, her hope of catching a glimpse of her other companions dwindling along the way until finally she found herself back at the somewhat familiar house the novice had brought her to yesterday. It was eerily quiet, creeping through the dark house and up the stairs to Kyra’s bedroom.
Once safely inside, the huntress slowly sorted through her belongings and stripped down of all her equipment, haphazardly piling everything by the corner of the bed. As Selunae listened to Kyra’s offer of rest, she rifled through the leather pack briefly before removing what she had been looking for. It wasn’t a vulnerary – her final vulnerary had been dumped out recklessly after all – but instead a rolled up bandage. The huntress was deeply concerned about that deep gash on Kyra’s left shoulder. “Um hold on a sec, ‘kay? I’m gonna wrap that wound up for ya.”
Winding the bandage around the swordswoman’s wound several times, the huntress finally tied it rather tightly, to the point of discomfort. Selunae could tell that Kyra was in pain, but her efforts would be for nothing if it wasn’t tight enough to keep it from bleeding. At the very least, the young girl hadn’t cut off circulation to her arm. “There.. that’s better, I think. I uhh.. hope ya don’t mind, but I don’t feel like talkin’. The quicker I can get this night off my mind the better. I.. jus’ hope we didn’t leave Ito and Alphonz to die..” On the surface the huntress seemed stronger now, though rather emotionally drained, but once the two girls had settled into bed Selunae snuggled into Kyra and wept wordlessly. There was so much wrongdoing that she had been powerless to change. The girl’s naivete had afforded her a rude awakening. Her thoughts dwelt on Devon and Stanvir as she slowly drifted off to sleep, exhaustion and distress battling it out until she finally succumbed to the former of the two. Life had changed.
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Kyra
Myrmidon
A girl from Lucerne trying to find her place in the world.
Posts: 104
Profession: Wanderer/Mercenary
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Dark
Profile: ~Kyra~
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Post by Kyra on Aug 12, 2017 1:47:48 GMT -6
Kyra completely sympathized with Lunie's wanting to just sleep and get her mind off what happened. She wishes do do the same herself, but had asked about conversation more out of instinct than anything. She did decide to respond quickly to Lunie as she settled herself into her bed. "I.. I don't think Alphonz or Ito are in any kind of trouble. I'm sure they'll be fine. I don't know why I'm sure. I guess I just have a gut feeling, you know?" Stretching herself out on her own half of the bed, Kyra began to drift in and out of slumber, only partially aware of anything else Lunie might have said. Kyra was just able to let out a faint "Good night..." as she went still, her breathing slowing as she fell completely asleep.
The next morning, Kyra woke up first, or at least she assumed she did since Lunie still appeared to be asleep. She didn't want to wake her up sooner than necessary, especially given the horrific events of the night before. She needed her rest, and Kyra decided to just move a bit closer to Lunie, finding a bit if comfort in it herself as she waited for her red haired friend to awaken. Last night almost feels like a dream.. I know it isn't though. My injury is still very much here, and it reminds me that Devon isn't coming back... Sigh.. It's pretty quiet now. Maybe I should just try and get some more sleep before Lunie wakes up... At that, Kyra began closing her eyes, starting to drift back into sleep, if possible.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Aug 12, 2017 3:59:51 GMT -6
Exhaustion may have beaten out distress in the waking world but once Selunae was asleep, the distress and trauma reigned once more. Swirling nightmares plagued her mind and for the most part she found herself fleeing from a faceless adversary. She couldn’t see him, but was aware of his presence more than anything and possessed with an overwhelmingly urgent need to escape. Dark forests, narrow city alleys, cobweb-ridden caves, her flight from her unknown pursuer led her through seemingly random locations that didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason to them. Finally, when she could flee no more and could feel icy fingers closing around her throat, Selunae awoke with a cold sweat and panicked shallow breaths. Her vacant eyes slowly beginning to focus, the archer gazed at the dark ceiling in confusion. She should be getting used to waking up in unfamiliar places, but it wasn’t until her arm brushed against Kyra that the huntress remembered where she was and how she came to be there. The presence of her friend was very reassuring in the dark of night as the fragments of her nightmare slowly eluded her consciousness.
Absentmindedly cuddling back up to Kyra again, the red haired girl was soon asleep once more. The nightmare didn’t return. Instead, the huntress was chasing Cabby through the forest, not unlike the one where she’d met Ito. The reasons were vague, but his wrongdoing was fresh enough on her mind that she didn’t question it. The cavalier wasn’t mounted, nor did he seem to be armed, yet she relentlessly set after him with clear purpose. She had to protect her friends and the only way was to end him. It seemed so obvious, though such was the nature of dreams to skew perspective thus. Once Cabby was eventually cornered, he faced Selunae with a maddening grin and uttered that chilling laugh that shook her to the core. Overwhelmed, she released an arrow into his chest that struck with the force of the gods, though she never remembered drawing the bowstring or even wielding a bow in the first place. As if struck by a boulder, the bandit was launched backwards with a sickening scream identical to what she had heard when the horse crushed his spine.
Slowly moving forward to confirm that he wouldn’t ever be able to hurt anyone again, Selunae’s eyes widened in pure terror when the arrow-pierced corpse was not of the filthy bandit whose nose she had broken earlier. It was the slim figure of Kyra that lay lifelessly with an arrow lodged deep within her chest. No!! “Kyra!! Open your eyes!! D-don’t leave me!!! Y-you promised!!” The distraught girl collapsed to her knees and desperately shook the novice. “P-please! It wasn’t supposed to be this way!! Don’t l-leave me..!!!”
Back in reality, Selunae had begun to toss and turn violently, her slurred voice repeating the same line over and over. “..wasn’t supposed to be this way!”
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Kyra
Myrmidon
A girl from Lucerne trying to find her place in the world.
Posts: 104
Profession: Wanderer/Mercenary
Affiliation: Bern
Affinity: Dark
Profile: ~Kyra~
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Post by Kyra on Aug 13, 2017 9:51:42 GMT -6
As Kyra fell back asleep, she was thrust into a dreamscape where she stood amidst an oppressive fog, no other objects visible as far as she could see. As she walked for a bit, however, she almost ran into an object that was jutting out of the ground, half buried in whatever constituted as a floor in this place consisting solely of fog. The object appeared to be a longsword of roughly average size, with a hilt resembling a dragon skull that had an onyx gemstone for each eye. There was also dark grey cloth wrapped around where one's hand would go. The most peculiar thing, however, was that the blade of the sword was a glassy, pitch black color, similar to obsidian.
Staring at the sword for a few moments, Kyra began to slowly reach for it, and as she did, she felt her heartbeat racing. Was it the sight of such a powerful looking blade? Or was it that something felt... off? Either way, Kyra continued, but the moment her finger touched the pommel, she was plunged into darkness. In that darkness, a few words entered her mind in the form of echoed whispers in an androgynous, monotone voice. Clean... slate... Lycia... Bern... ruins... After a few moments, Kyra felt herself grow dizzy as the words began slurring together, faster and faster as the world around her changed from oppressive black to pure white.
Waking up with a start, but still laying down, Kyra breathed heavily for a few moments, wondering what it was she just saw. Was that a real weapon? What did the words mean? Clean slate? Lycia? Bern? What ruins exactly, and why? It didn't matter for now, as Kyra heard (and saw) Lunie tossing and turning in her sleep, raving about how something "wasn't supposed to be this way". Concerned, Kyra began shaking Lunie, trying to get her awake. "Lunie? Lunie, wake up!"
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