True Rising Stars {Kyra}

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Siegmund had learned a good deal from the arena. Despite how far from the Steelborn it had taken him he could safely say it had been a worthwhile venture. He learned a great deal from observing the various fights and, of course, partaking personally. From the driven but rough style Kisaragi displayed, the precise momentum focused style of that other Sacaen man, all the way to the versatile and adaptive style that white haired man had displayed. There were a million and one ways to wield a blade, it seemed. Siegmund would steadily have to discover which styles suited him best.

Plenty for him to practice and think about as he continued down the path to Kathelet. That was where the Steelborn had wanted him to meet. Of course, Siegmund had never been to that march before, but the path was easier than Pherae. He didn't have to go over and through mountains, merely around them. Still he'd already found that reading maps had become easier since he'd left his village. He also found he had to consult his map less frequently. Left him better aware of his surroundings as he walked...

And good thing, too.

"Come on now, get a move on..." Whispers from beyond the brush. They were sharp and harsh, very forced. It was enough to pique the young man's interest, though his curiosity came with caution as well. Siegmund's fingers gently wrapped around the hilt of his blade ad he began to walk off the dirt path. As he drew nearer to the bushes he heard sounds of a struggle - muffled screams and scraping of boots against soil. It didn't sound like a fight proper, but rather something downright nefarious. Siegmund's heart raced as he contemplated the worst case scenario.

The aspiring merc pushed his way through the brush, the sensation of twigs and leaves brushing against his skin a distant thought as he remained focused on what lay before him. There was indeed a struggle. Several young children, male and female, being herded through the trees by two men and a woman. The adults were armed, albeit poorly. Like Siegmund that had no proper armor, but they lacked even hard leather to protect them. Hatchets and swords in poor condition rested either in their hands or on their hips.

They had the look of brigands, and the sorrowful, fear-filled expressions on the children's faces implied they were not relatives. Siegmund could come to an assumption as to what was going on, yet with the presence of children he needed to be a touch more precise. Careful. However he...absolutely would do something about this. Siegmund didn't consider himself a hero, not even an aspiring one, but he still held his own morals and ideologies that he would defend when necessary. And allowing a cruel fate to befall children...did not fall into either category.

"And what, pray tell, is going on here?" Siegmund stepped through the brush and into the forested clearing. Instantly axes were drawn by the men, but the sword-bearing woman raised her hand - a signal for them to wait. The children all froze in fear, wide eyes turned over to Siegmund. "You'll have to forgive me for prying..." Siegmund was sure to speak loudly. If these brigands had allies he wanted to know immediately. If there were passer-by's who would lend him a hand then he'd want to be sure to draw their attention as well. "But you have to know how bad this looks."

"Not as bad as you'll look if you don't mind your business." The woman spat. Her hand went to the hilt of her sword, and her eyes narrowed. "Shut your trap and piss off, runt, unless you want to join these brats."

...Well, they certainly didn't bother attempting to lie or deceive, did they?

[Kyra]

Kyra had never wandered this far north before, and though she was still in Bern, she wondered if she should turn around before she got too close to the eastern border of Lycia, especially after the kinds of things Kisaragi had told her about that the people are dealing with there. She had figured she'd find more people in need along this road, but there were hardly any, aside from maybe a few people here and there wanting help with small, menial tasks. I can't be like father if I can't find anyone to help... Hmm, maybe I'll walk just a little bit further, and then I'll turn back-

Suddenly, Kyra heard a young male voice shouting loudly at someone nearby. "You'll have to forgive me for prying, but you have to know how bad this looks." Kyra continued along the road, moving closer to where the noise came from, and heard an older woman responding, but couldn't make out what she was saying exactly. When she caught sight of the young boy, who couldn't have been much older than her, if at all, she spoke up. "H-hey! What's going on over here? Are you two fighting over something? Might I be able to help somehow? Once she finished speaking and was almost next to the strangers, she realized there were two others next to the woman, and that they were standing with weapons near a group of young children.

Oh gods, there are children here! Were these three planning to.. kill them? But why? What is the motive behind doing such a horrible thing? No, no... maybe this is some horrible misunderstanding, and it just looks really awkward since I got here later. Maybe not, but I really hope so...

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A fourth joined the area. A young girl, about Siegmund's age if not a bit younger, with a sword at her hip. Didn't look very strong or well-armed, but looks could be deceiving. Still, Siegmund did not think she was part of the group he now stood before. She seemed nervous and genuinely confused, not to mention the way she looked at the children...

Siegmund's mind began to race. IF she was just some traveler she could be useful in escorting the children to safety, potentially aiding in the fight for a time. Siegmund wasn't even certain he could take down one of these fiends let alone all three. A second sword evened the odds in his favor.

“Another brat?! Both of you better get the hell out of here. Last warning!” The woman barked, and her men growled. The children trembled and huddled together, steadily moving away from the three brigands. Good, the further away they were the safer they'd be. Furthermore the bandits had all but confirmed that this newcomer was not among their numbrers.

“If you're going to help, then I suggest you draw your sword.” Siegmund did the same as he spoke, his gaze fixed on his three foes. “Scum who sell off children into slavery aren't the sort that can be reasoned with.” No reaction from the brigands. No scoff, no confusion, no outrage at being misjudged. They might as well have confessed their guilt entirely. If that was truly what these monsters were attempting to do...then Siegmund didn't care how much of their blood he spilled.

“Tch. Get them, then!” Another command towards her axe-wielding men, and they both took off. Both of them towards Siegmund, likely hoping to blitz him with a numbers advantage before the girl could join in – IF she joined in. As for the leader, her sword was drawn at last. She tossed a glare towards the children and held her blade at them. “Don't you dare try to run, or so help me I'll sever your hands from your wrists!”

An empty threat. Why cripple a slave? It simply rendered them ineffective. Still, the threat was so vile that it spurred a fire within Siegmund. He was no hero...but everyone had a duty to rid the world of scum like this.

With a cry he raised his sword to meet the blade of an axe, the first of the two brigands having reached him. The second was mere steps away, though, so Siegmund adjusted his stance and shifted his blade downward – a nifty trick he'd learned after the tavern fight earlier in the week. The shift in positioning let the brigand's own strength carry his axe forward, down the length of Siegmund's blade and then forward, stumbling as his balance was lost.

Siegmund then shifted his footing once more as he ducked his head beneath the next swing from the second brigand. The rusted blade of his axe whistled over the young man's head, and a small smirk stretched on his lips. There was a satisfying rush within Siegmund as he drew his blade across the brigand's chest, slicing cloth and flesh alike. A red line was left in the blade's wake and blood spilled as this brigand, too, staggered past Siegmund.

It was a good cut...but shallow.

Siegmund grunted as, out of anger, the brigand pivoted and swung a hammer fist into the back of Siegmund's head. He stumbled forward and raised his left hand to grasp his head, eyes shut in pain as the afflicted area throbbed. It was far too early for him to get cocky or excited, it seemed.

[Kyra]

Kyra had to think fast. She could either help her new ally against the two axe users, or she could rush the woman who was seemingly in charge. Whether her threat to the children would be backed up by action remained to be seen, but Kyra didn't want to wait and see if it would be. She made her choice, sprinting towards the vile woman, sword drawn in in hand. She took a swing, which the woman blocked just in time, the clanging swords resulting in a few small sparks where iron met iron.

The woman stared down Kyra as their blades slid against each other, muttering, "Damned girl, poking your nose in things that don't concern you! At that, she released the tension between the two blades, going for an attack of her own, narrowly missing Kyra as she ducked beneath the sword, feeling the breeze of the swing just above her. Taking advantage of the woman recovering from the swing, Kyra did a quick, but weak slash at one of her legs, causing her to fall down in pain. Once she was down, Kyra brought her blade down, anticipating a block that did in fact happen, and kicked the woman in the stomach, winding her for a moment.

Kyra turned to look at how her ally was doing, saying, "I'm really sorry for leaving you to deal with both of them! Do you need any help?" She hoped her negligence of his own duel didn't cost him any severe injuries or anything... or worse.

[Deleted]

Gah, his head hurt like hell. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd taken a blow to the head – which was worrisome on its own – but he still wasn't used to that high pitched ringing that assailed his ears. At this rate he never would be...but perhaps that was for the best. As Siegmund shook his head and spun around to face his opponents, he could hear the voice of his impromptu ally. She'd begun battle with the swords woman, and offered her aid to him.

“Keep the leader occupied. Make sure nothing happens to the children.” Was all he said in reply. There was...admittedly a bit of pride guiding his decision, but ultimately it was for the best. They were outnumbered as it was – one of them would be stuck against two foes regardless. So long as they managed to keep all three of the brigands occupied then no harm could befall the children.

The two men recovered as Siegmund had, and gave each other a look and a nod. Some sort of silent signal? Siegmund raised his sword and parted his feet, keeping them in line with his shoulders. Siegmund drew a breath as the two men charged at him again. They moved in tandem, both their axes raised to their shoulders. Siegmund wasn't a large enough target for them to strike the same angle at the same time – they'd get in each other's way.

One of them was going to feint. What Siegmund had to do, and fast, was figure out to which side. But...damn it, where did he watch? Their eyes? Their feet?

“Tch.” He couldn't afford to wait that long. He didn't have the experience necessary to predict that far. All Siegmund could rely on was his base instincts, and they screamed for him to move to the left. So Siegmund shuffled his feet and bent his knees as the two brigands came in. Sure enough, one of them – the wounded one – broke off from the other and to the right. Siegmund pivoted hard to his left, his blade scraping against the axe of the first brigand once again.

The second one pivoted hard as well and lunged forward at Siegmund. The enemy was larger, more muscular, than Siegmund was. He wouldn't win a straight on clash of strength. So Siegmund instead tried to pivot again, fast enough to spin in a full circle as he shifted. Siegmund raised his sword whilst he spun, and with a luck the blade struck across the brigand's throat as he passed by. This cut was deeper – the wound a fatal one.

As the larger man collapsed forward, hitting the ground with a scrape and a thud, Siegmund also lost his balance. He didn't have the training or athleticism to perfectly pull off the maneuver he'd attempted, and the slash had completely tossed his shaky balance aside. Siegmund rolled once when he hit the ground, his vision spinning from the rapid momentum shifts. The hilt of his sword still laid firm in his grasp, thankfully, but the fight wasn't over yet...

Which Siegmund was swiftly reminded when he saw the boots of the remaining axe wielder stomp their way towards him.

[Kyra]

Kyra nodded, turning back around once she confirmed her ally would likely be alright, for the most part. She saw the woman just starting to get up from the gut kick Kyra had given her just a few moments prior, and moved a but closer to try and incapacitate her. No need to kill if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Besides, disarming had potential for capture and interrogation, in the event these brigands weren't working alone. Pointing her sword at the still recovering leader, she spoke up, "Surrender now! Lay down your sword and command your men.. er.. man, to stand down, and I won't have to kill you."

The woman looked up at Kyra, smirking. "Foolish girl, do ye think I'm just gonna take orders from some... child? Heheh, you really are as daft as you seem! Now, get out of my damn way!" At that, she swung her sword upward at Kyra, as part of the motion of standing up, but was immediately foiled as Kyra sidestepped, following it up by holding her leg out stiffly, causing the woman to faceplant into the dirt.

Kyra sighed, disappointed in the shoddy combat skills of the woman. "Geez, I figured you'd be a bit more competent. After all, I'm just a kid, aren't I?" Angered by the insulting remark, the woman darted back up, swinging at Kyra with surprising speed, and though she did get a nice scrape down Kyra's arm, it also left a massive opening for Kyra to slash straight down the woman's torso, causing her to fall forward dead. Kyra shrugged and spoke to the dead air between her and the corpse. "Well, I did give you the option of surrender. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Turning to see the fight between her comrade and the other thugs, of which there was now only one, she noticed the boy was in a bit of a pinch, and figured she'd try a distraction to make it easier for him to sneak up on the thug. She cupped her mouth, shouting over, "Hey, ugly! How about you pick on someone your own size?"

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Though the young man tried his utmost to scramble to his feet he was still too slow to avoid taking a hard boot to his gut. The force briefly lifted him off the ground while Siegmund was left with the sensation that his stomach had become lodged within his throat. He hit the ground and let out a series of coughs and gags, the grip on his sword slackened immensely. It felt as though he was going to hurl, yet nothing would come up.

Fate would spare him another painful, kick, or worse, when both Siegmund and his assailant heard a loud call. That girl, his impromptu ally, had called out the other brigand in a taunt. Siegmund couldn't really see, given his head faced the dirt, but perhaps she'd already taken care of her opponent? Either way it was enough to distract the brigand, whose eyes went to the dirty blonde and then immediately to the fallen corpse of the brigand leader.

“What the...you bitch!” The axe man snarled. Siegmund knew that this was his moment. They had a numbers advantage, yes, but at that moment the brigand had all but forgotten Siegmund's existence. He'd been caught up in fury towards his mistress' killer, and that would be his undoing.

His sword clutched in his hand once more, Siegmund forced himself to his feet and lunged forward, blade aimed straight at the man's back. Before he could even heft his axe to charge Kyra he was run through – impaled fully by Siegmund's sword. The young man's balance was once again off, this time due to the waves of discomfort and pain that drummed out from his stomach, and both he and the brigand fell to the dirt as a result.

Siegmund released his blade upon impact and immediately rolled off the brigand's body, left to catch his breath while his felled foe writhed beside him. As blood pooled out beneath him the brigand attempted to push himself up off the dirt, only to fall miserably. He tried to speak but only strained gurgling came out. Siegmund looked over and watched, as the life poured out of his opponent.

He'd...never actually had to WATCH someone die before. It wasn't a comfortable sight, even if Siegmund wholly felt the kill was justified. But perhaps it was for the best that he had this experience, unwilling or otherwise. It would serve as a harsh reminder that death was never pretty. If Siegmund was to kill he'd best have no doubts about his foes...

“I...have to thank you. I'm not sure I'd have been able to best the three of them on my own.” Siegmund grunted as he propped himself up with his elbows. He gazed over at Kyra, and then turned his gaze to the children. They'd huddled together a fair distance from the fighting. They looked...horrified, but unharmed. Siegmund glanced back at the young lady and nodded his head in the direction of the children. He still needed a moment to recover, but one of them needed to attend to those poor kids. It'd have to be her.

[Kyra]

Kyra looked a bit sheepish when her comrade began praising her assistance, when really half of it was just her happening to be nearby when this all occurred. "I-I mean, it wasn't that big of a deal, really... I was just doing the right thing, you know? A-anyway, my name is Kyra, nice to meet you! You look to be Bernese yourself, if I'm not mistaken? I'm from Lucerne. Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?" After awaiting for a response from him, she continued. "Well, I suppose I should go check on the children. You go ahead and lie there a bit if you need to."

When Kyra got to the kids, they were a bit wary, but not as much as earlier, seeing as as how they just got saved by her and her friend. One of the children, maybe 6 or 7 by the looks of it, walked over and said, "Miss, are we gonna see our mommies and daddies again?" Kyra almost felt her heart melt as the little boy asked his question, wondering just how long these children had been away from their families. Kyra spoke to the boy, asking, "Yes, yes you will. Where are you all from? We'll take you back there as soon as we can."

Once she'd gathered some information from all the children, Kyra returned to Siegmund, asking the kids to stay put just a bit longer. "Well, it seems the children all originate from a fairly poorly defended village just east of here, maybe a good few miles by the sounds of it, if my guess is right. It would explain why they were likely taken so easily. If you're good to walk, would you mind accompanying me while I take them back? After all, any praise received by the families should be equally given to you, and if nothing else, company my own age along the way can't hurt!"

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If the previous situation hadn't JUST been resolved, perhaps Siegmund would have found it humorous how the slightest bit of “praise” left some people flustered. With Phi it was a bit more understandable, Siegmund had gone overboard by his own standards, but he'd merely stated a fact and this girl had been left to stutter and stammer in response. It wasn't a bad thing, really, especially since she was quick enough to take initiative when it had come to the children.

While she talked to them Siegmund pushed himself to his feet. A dull ache continued to assault his lower torso, but it wasn't a crippling agony or anything of the sort. Really he was fortunate that he had no permanent or serious injury after such a skirmish. Siegmund was pleased with himself that he, for the most part, handled a 2 on 1 so well, but he'd made several grave errors that could not afford to be repeated in future encounters. When he had time to himself he'd need to remember to reflect on those errors seriously.

But, well, there was still the matter of the children. They were reasonably frightened, Siegmund could see that from their body language, but they were relieved as well. It seemed Siegmund and this dirty blonde had some of their trust. The girl in question walked back towards Siegmund and explained what she had gathered of their situation. Their village was some distance away...in the direction opposite that of Siegmund's objective...

...Damn. Well, it wasn't like he could live with himself if he turned down the offer. Besides, Siegmund believed in seeing things through to the end. If he was going to help the children in the first place, he'd do so until his aid was no longer required.

“Very well. More company should help the children feel at ease. Hm, I'm ready to head off when you are.” Siegmund answered the woman with a smile. He extended his hand immediately afterwards. “My name is Siegmund, by the way. It would be easier in case we run into any other undesirables if we knew each other's names.”

And yes, that was an honest concern of Siegmund's rather than some poor pick-up line. The scum they had slain seemed to be involved in some manner of human trafficking/slaver's ring. Three seemed like quite the modest number for such a heinous...occupation. They tended to work in smaller numbers, yes, but the organizations that operated such abhorrent acts were oft far larger than the small sects of workers one would see at a time.

Siegmund would need to keep that in mind, but he wasn't sure if he ought to share the concern. If so he'd make sure to be quiet about it. He didn't want to bring more worry to the children if necessary – they'd been through enough and there was no evidence to support this one possibility.

[Kyra]

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, Siegmund! I'm ready to go now as well. The sooner these children get home, the better, and I'll also likely need my arm checked out. I got nicked pretty hard by that woman's sword. Nothing fatal, but I wanna make sure it won't leave a scar or anything. I think the bleeding has mostly stopped, so long as I don't overexert it." Kyra was glad Siegmund had accepted her offer to come along, whether he had other places to be or not. At least she wouldn't need to guide the children back all on her own.

After rounding the children together, the two led them a ways to the east for a bit, and after climbing a hill, they were able to see a small village in the distance, maybe another mile or two ahead. Smoke from the chimneys rose up into the early evening sky, but beyond that and some of the buildings themselves, not much was viewable from where they were. Regardless, the moods of the children seemed to brighten up significantly at the sight of their quaint little home. The whole walk, Kyra had been rolling Siegmund's name around in her head, trying to figure out where she knew it from, finally speaking up when she did, "Oh, wait a minute! Do you happen to know someone by the name of Kisaragi? Sacaean, about yay tall, wields a sword? She mentioned you before when I was sparring with her one evening outside Bern. Heh, it's interesting how small the world can be sometimes."

Once she was past her sudden revelation, Kyra posed a question to Siegmund. "So, um, what is it you're trying to do exactly? You were kinda just wandering the road alone, from what I could tell. Do you have some kind of goal or something? Sorry if that's too intrusive, I had just wondered..."

EDIT: (Thread has been abandoned)