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Post by gabbiano on Jul 5, 2010 6:22:10 GMT -6
Gabbiano gave a wry smile as he followed the company ahead towards the path. He stared eagerly through the bushes at them, hoping he wouldn't yet be seen.
He turned, getting one last look at the Ilian land behind him, and he longed for new land. He wondered what Sacae would be like, what the plains would look like. His heart yearned for land other than his home, and he was satisfied to have finally gotten away from everything that pained him.
He took a step forward, back into hindsight of the company, and his old friend Marle. Not matching her eye yet, he slowly and quietly approached.
"Marle," He called, precariously stepping over the few stones around him. "Good to see you again. And here, of all places. I wouldn't have been surprised to hear about your new... Ah, job, as I'd call it, leading these men." He shot looks around the Captain's men; strong, fit, and serious fighters here and ready to do their job as well. "Anyway..." He looked back at the ground.
"The bandits - or whoever they were - began chase once I was out of your company." He closed his eyes and laughed a bit, revealing a long gash in his side. "They were... Taken care of, I suppose, at least most of them. I suppose I'll be fine, but they're out of the way, at least."
He gave a genuine smile towards all the troops. "Pardon my asking, but could I possibly have the honor of joining the ranks of these fine men on this mission?"
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jul 5, 2010 12:50:46 GMT -6
When Gabbiano revealed himself, Marle almost wheeled on him with her lance. She didn't need to be startled, not now of all times. This was a dangerous area. It was the main road out of Ilia, and so, was frequent to constant attacks, or so she had heard. The troops that were with Marle weren't very well trained, well enough, but not nearly so, and the numbers were small. This was a scouting group, afterall.
Sighing, Marle lowered her weapon, and then proceeded to lead the startled troops down the winding road which would go all the way down the mountain.
"Damn it...don't sneak around like that. Its bad for your health.."
Breathing deeply, she continued on at their slow pace. it wasn't easy to go quick on this road during this time of year, everything was loose as far as the road was concerned. Her eyes were always upwards, peering at ledges.
"If you can pull your own weight, then you're free to join us for the time being, but if worse comes to worse, you better not run away."
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Post by gabbiano on Jul 5, 2010 13:24:42 GMT -6
Gabbiano chuckled at her heightened pressure towards the situation. His eyes glistened with intrigue as he studied her.
"Ah, my friend," He started, pacing the road along with the troops. "It's only bad for YOUR health, as mine is already in poor shape." He smiled, giddy at his own wordplay, and wary of his wound.
"I treated it, but I'm a bit weak." He grew slightly more serious, and continued; "I can hold my own out here. After all, I know what I'm doing... at least, I know what I'm doing about 90% of the time." He grinned, holding tight to the hilt of his blade. "I would never abandon an old companion - and Captain - like yourself. I'll be here until this is over. Then maybe, disappear again into the vast world."
He averted his wistful gaze to the sky, watching as the clouds moved slowly and lazily, like he would have liked to on his off days; and these days were every day to him. However, with this recent news of a scouting mission, he was happy and excited to have something to spend his time - and his sword - doing. He looked ahead to the road, wary of what lay ahead, but comforted around the few soldiers, Marle, and...
Gabbiano gently nudged Marle, careful not to startle her a second time. "And your friend, there?" He pointed, disregarding being rude. "The wyvern rider? What of him?" He smiled towards Arthis, having no idea of his disposition towards others.
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Arthis
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 43
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Post by Arthis on Jul 6, 2010 15:45:34 GMT -6
While the two conversed, Arthis was not paying them any attention. Instead, his eyes were drawn to the cliff face. He scanned the crags and peaks, this was not a good place to be. The possibilities of ambushes were numerous...
And as if on cue, a glint from the snow covered crags caught his eyes. One might think it difficult to pinpoint an arrows shimmer from the sky, but Wyvern Riders were trained for it. It was impossible to tell who it was aimed for, so Arthis took the initiative.
"Dive!" He roared above the wind. His wing men were surprised by the order, and lagged behind as he went into a steep dive. "Regroup with the army, we must inform the Captain!" He shouted as they drew even with him again. As the dive continued, the army became aware of their presence, wondering what had happened. As Arthis approached into earshot, he called out to Marle.
"Ambush in the cliffs! Watch yourselves!" He pulled down to a few feet from her, gliding on the winds. "I'm not sure how many archers they have, we'll have to keep low altitude until we can find them all." A shout from above them turned his head as he turned to see figures descending the cliff face towards them.
Arthis grimaced. "Well, that was easy..."
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jul 10, 2010 19:49:35 GMT -6
Marle could only afford to pay half-attention to Gabbiano. She was working, afterall, and had to stay resolute. Biting her lower lip, she peered past the visor of her helmet, and looked to where Gabbiano was pointing, at Arthis. All she could do was grimace at him, and shrug towards the thief. The question confused her. he premised something, but how could she respond? before she could get a word out, she could hear Arthis once more, his alert....typical bandit location..such cowardice.
"Aye! Rally! Bandits on the cliffs! Archers form ranks, the rest, to me!"
The archers busied themselves with stringing their bows, and knocking arrows. The spears and swords that were with her, began to form up on her sides, as she rushed forwards. The archers shot at the hills, over the soldiers on the ground, aiming to take down those they could before they made it all the way down. It was strange, Marle half-hoped to see only a few stupid bandits, but it was almost like a swarm of burly, and widdled men alike. She was...surprised...why was Ilia so riddled with bandits, and in such great numbers!?
After a moment of making a break past the archers, Marle stopped and drew her shield, the first of the bandits that made it down the hill set eyes on her barreled down the road. Bouncing on her toes, she walked steadily towards him, brimming with confidence. As they met, the man swung his sword, and struck the ground infront of him as he clearly missed. Retaliating, Marle swung her lance, and caught the fellow in the legs, sweeping him off only to land on his back. She didn't have the time to finish him off, just as an arrow flew and stuck her chestplate, denting it, but the force that it hit caused her to stumble back a little.
"Damn it, take care everyone!"
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Post by gabbiano on Jul 10, 2010 21:02:49 GMT -6
Gabbiano smiled easily as he watched Marle so seriously stomp into battle. He watched as Arthis flew his Knights around, fighting and dodging arrows and other weapons alike.
He carefully strode towards the fight, strangely laughing to himself at the petty of war and of these bandits who thought they could handle these men.
Gabbiano, as calm as ever - and not yet to the battle - shot glances between the many battles going on. He looked at his own wound, as it was healing, but he was in no position to take on many bandits at once. In fact, it would be in his luck to manage a single bandit. However, he promised Marle he wouldn't abandon them when things got tough. He looked towards her, fighting bravely, and his heart sank. He felt guilty.
He laughed to himself, gripping tight the handle of his blade behind his waist. He watched attentively as a single bandit (his luck exactly) ran blindly towards him. His gaze grew cold with solemnity, and he drew his blade. He parted his feet, turning one, and braced for the bandits blow. He swung his axe feverishly and wildly at Gabbiano, who cleverly and barely managed to escape it's wide arc. He sidestepped flawlessly around the bandits leg, giving two quick swipes at him. One, on the back of his thigh, and one on his back. Unfortunately, these attacks were not enough than to do any more than simply make him angrier. Gabbiano stepped back swiftly and awaited a blow from the bandit who was yelling in pain - or anger, for all he knew.
It was times like these when Gabbiano's mind drifted aloof to times in his past when he knew nothing of fighting, only of linguistics, history, and psychology. He though back to his days of living alone in the mountains of Ilia, where bandits were scarce. And if they were not, they did not bother him in his abode. He watched the bandit, wondering how and why he turned into what he was at this point. He looked towards Marle, the Captain of this scouting team, and how much valor she had, and how little his own measure of valor was.
That was the time when he blindly and quickly lost all self control and rushed the bandit. His wound flashed in his mind, his stance, his weapon, his chance of hitting, and then the blow came quicker than he had expected. He hadn't planned on being swiped across the chest with an axe, but nonetheless, he smiled, and fell a few feet back, holding his new ailment. He stared at the bandit as he approached again, waiting, and when the time was right, he kicked upwards in an attempt to distract the bandit, as Gabbiano rolled to the side and stood up. Gasping for breath, he readied his blade - and his mind - for another attack.
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Arthis
The "Before" years
[M:0]
Posts: 43
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Post by Arthis on Jul 13, 2010 21:24:56 GMT -6
Arthis had always been a man of action, and a few archers were not enough to keep him grounded. With a roar, Riese took to the skies, using the cliffs as cover as he swooped along the narrow battlefield. In conditions like this, power was only going to be used against you. The ground was slick, and the amount of safe area for him to fly was also limited. Arthis wheeled around and stabbed at a single bandit, who jumped to the side and slipped from the sudden movement. The distraction Arthis had provided allowed another soldier to 'seal the deal' as it were with a sword through the head.
Turning about, he saw Gabbiano facing down another bandit, with two long cuts. He wasn't one of his men...but he was fighting bandits so he wasn't necessarily an enemy. It could be an enemy trick, but not if he was so injured. Still, it would be difficult to get a clean shot on the bandit, due to Gambbiano's proximity. Finally, he saw his opportunity when Gabbiano's stance took him low, and Arthis swung his lance in a large arc. The blunt metal of the lance collided with the bandit's head, staggering him. More so then stunning him, it pushed him off to the side. As he stumbled, his foot fell from the cliff, and with a scream the rest of his body soon followed.
"Corpses are worthless, get out of the fight!" He shouted to the boy.
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Post by gabbiano on Jul 14, 2010 6:10:38 GMT -6
Gabbiano's eyes glistened as a smile appeared at the newly arrived wyvern rider. He much respected these knights, as they were tough and had a harder job than his own. He watched, amazed, as the bandit that took him so much time to fight was so easily destroyed.
He moved in closer, wary of his weakness, and shouted to Arthis, somewhat laughing. "My friend, I've made a promise with someone to not leave this battlefield when things got tough. My corpse will simply be another lost if I die here. And if I die here, I was meant to. Pay me no heed, I will be fine. Rally your men, do what you will... however, I will not retreat from this fight." He solemnly looked at Arthis, hoping he understood that his reference was to Marle.
"I appreciate the help, though. I will return the favor at some point, assuming I don't fall here. My blade is a part of this fight until it is over, and there will be no questions about that." He smiled at Arthis, hoping he understood.
At that, Gabbiano saw his chance. In the midst of the wyvern rider, the simple-minded bandits to the left were - surprisingly - wise enough to keep their good distance. Gabbiano saw this chance, nodding to Arthis, and dashed toward one of the bandits. He saw this coming, and Gabbiano was not quick enough. Their swords collided in a clash of sparks and anger, and Gabbiano pushed forward. The bandit laughed, being more physically powerful than Gabbiano, and pushed him off. He then swung his blade in a wide arc, attempting to fell Gabbiano in a single blow. He came to luckily dodge this, letting his rage control his fluid movements. He dashed up, sweep kicking the bandit across the ankles, and coming down in a straight-forward movement with his weapon. The bandit yelped, faded from consciousness, and Gabbiano stepped back fatigued as ever.
As the other bandits approached, Gabbiano used his better judgement and took off. He figured it would be wise to lead away from so much strife so that he could regain his own strength, and then maybe use Marle's as an asset.
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jul 19, 2010 18:33:31 GMT -6
Grabbing at her chest from where the arrow cashed into her, she continued to check herself. Sometimes, when the adrenaline started to flow, you couldn't feel wounds, and hers certainly was pumping. After determining if she was okay, she looked just in time to see the larger, already on his feet, moving with his sword ready to take off her head. Without thought, Marle instinctively ducked down, to feel the dull blade slide through her hair that followed through her motion. As she stood straight, pushing up her helmet with the tip of her triangular shield, she backed away, so the fight would be better in her favor.
Marle lunged, and lunged again, trying to score a hit on this same foe, but he backed away into the crowd of enemies. Just as he did so, another came from her side, trying to take Marle by surprise, but was run through by one of her soldiers as he came from behind him. It was a melee. It was so hard to tell some apart even this close. With a nod of thanks, she turned, and smacked a bandit with the edge of her shield as he was busy fighting someone else, and knocked him to the ground, where a spear later stabbed into him from an unsteady soldier.
Looking to the sky, in this respite, Marle watched as Arthis went to Gabbiano, and apparently shouted at him. Even with all this noise, Marle could still hear him, but not clearly... A loud cry brought Marle's attention back to the conflict, as her 'rest' was short lived. Jumping backwards, the same man came back, wielding a large two handed axe this time, and swung it downwards, only to land in the hard rock, splitting the ground in two with sparks that showed the force of impact.
Grinning, Marle re-balanced herself, and winked to the enemy.
"Back again? I thought you ran away!"
"Screw you, bitch."
As the bandit began to pick up his axe, he seemed stuck in the rock, and Marle gave a quick laugh, and pushed forwards. The lance actually was released from her grip, but her hand was still enclosed around it. It was a simple way of making full use of the lance's reach with a thrust. Just as the blade struck the man's chest, her hand re-tightened it's grip, not like she was going to lose it with the full length not even achieved.
"Maybe you should have."
Ripping it free, she turned, and went towards Gabbiano, pushing through the mass of soldiers while keeping care of a flank.
"Not bad...not bad at all...take a few seconds of breath, but return to the fight. No one takes breaks, you can rest after you die."
With that, Marle threw herself at an enemy, cutting infront of one of her own soldiers, and clocked him with the broad side of her lance, upside the head.
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Post by gabbiano on Jul 19, 2010 19:02:13 GMT -6
Backing again, away from the bandits pursuing him, Gabbiano grinned and laughed.
"And so short lived my life would be if that happened, my friend. But I don't believe I'm to die here." He started away from, using the rest of his energy to charge the bandit pair awaiting him.
He had hoped for a more steady fight, but knowing in his conscious the odds of things, he did something even he himself would have considered remarkably lucky. He jumped, using most of his energy, just high enough to land his feet on the bandits shoulders, sending him flying to the ground, with Gabbiano still atop of him. Without a second thought or hesitation, Gabbiano scored a very intense and lucky hit into the bandit's throat. Gruesome screams came from the dying person, and Gabbiano jumped off backwards, letting the bandit die very quickly.
He smiled contently, but also with remorse. So quickly and easily had Gabbiano taken a life. He thought about what could have led the bandit to become what he had... but there was no time for serious contemplation.
"You should watch your ass, boy!"
Immediately, chills ran down Gabbiano's spine as he quickly turned, but to no avail. The blunt end of the bandits axe came swiftly down atop Gabbiano's head, sending him spinning. The bandit yelped and screamed in a victorious voice, then physically shoving Gabbiano away from his dead friend.
As Gabbiano flew and slammed into the ground a few feet ahead, he was utterly surprised. He didn't yet know defeat, but here it stood in front of him like a yellow snake in the grass. Gabbiano had blacked out. The world as he knew it faded from his view, as he now knew he had been critically wounded; not counting his other two wounds he had previously endured. He lay silently on the ground as the bandit watched.
"You naive boy! You know nothing of war and the sword!" The bandit, knowing Gabbiano was not dead, left him to suffer on the ground. And with that, the bandit and a few others left his blanked body and charged towards the others.
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jul 21, 2010 2:01:42 GMT -6
Metal rang as her shield absorbed a blow that pushed her to her knees. Marle gasped in pain as it felt like her arm may have suffered as well enduring such a strong blow from a random enemy. Backing away from one of the men, she allowed her soldiers to fill in her place at the front of the melee. Nursing her wounded arm, she began to look in search. Up above, none of the pegasi riders seemed to have been downed...and casualties were light on their end. These bandits would break soon enough, she knew this.
hearing a scream that was quickly silenced, Mare turned her head, hair mattered to her forehead and covering her face, despite the helmet that kept most of it in check. Moving a thumb to brush it away, she saw as Gabbiano was thrown. Wincing a bit as he didn't rouse from his position, Marle started over to him as quickly as her body would allow. She was tired. Fighting in so much armor was due to be tiring, no matter how much strength you had. Breathing in heavy pants, She eventually came over to him, but wouldn't risk harm to him just yet, she would deal with the ones that had tossed him away.
Putting herself between the bandit and the rest, Marle grinned in a knowing sense. The enemies looked upon her with a touch of confusion, but blocking them as she did made her intentions clear. They would not leave without a fight. Brandishing her lance, she brought it in her noble stance of one handed fighting, which caused one of the men to form a lone charge without his compatriots. His axe met her shield, which caused Marle to wince in pain, but the blow was stopped, and she pushed the man's weapon back with all her might.
Following her defense, she led with her weapon, thrusting low, towards the man's belly, but her move was obvious, and the foe casually blocked with his own weapon. A small smirk ran up on the bandit's ugly face, licking his lips as he pushed forwards, swiping at her as he closed and tried to land a blow, but Marle either parried, or glanced the blows off with her shield, until she brought the side of her lance in on the man's side, cutting him open across the stomach.
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Post by gabbiano on Jul 23, 2010 9:08:09 GMT -6
OoC: Where's Arthis? IC: Moments later, Gabbiano's eyes slightly opened; but to world spinning, short of sound and color. His brain felt as if it had been smashed unbearably with a hammer. He breathed heavily, not even able to hear himself. He dared not lift his head for both fear of the bandits and simply because it pained him to do so. He let his dizzy eyes wander nervously around, noticing the few bandits that took him out, and then Marle, attempting to defend him. He felt nothing but weakness. He felt nor happiness for the rescue, nor compassion for her feeling the need to do so. He sighed, still dizzy, and rolled over. Please,do not let them attack me. Give me five seconds... he thought to himself. Once over, he took a weak knee, gasping and watching the battle around him. He reached around his back and feverishly yanked for the little that was left of his vulnerary. Without a second glance, he drowned all the rest of it, and it felt wonderful down his throat. Momentarily, he felt slightly better, taking a stand and wiping his forehead. He nodded slowly to Marle, then drew his blade. He raised it in a defensive stance, took a deep breath, and watched for Marle's first move. He was still a bit weak to do any fighting, but he was short on other options.
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jul 24, 2010 18:00:34 GMT -6
Marle was much too busy now to acknowledge Gabbiano any longer. Tsking to herself, she balanced the lance in her hand, ready for anything. A Rock was tossed from up on the mountain that struck Marle in the side of the head. Up there, a man was just beginning to brandish a crude looking horn that sounded squawky at best. The fighting seemed to stop just there. The group that had begun to surround Marle slowly backed away, and the brigands, what was left of them, went at a run, some grumbling, others thankful for the reprieve.
Marle had sunken to her knee from the force of the rock. Though she was wearing a helmet, she was still bleeding from the force of the impact. Gasping in pain, she slowly stood, only to see there were no longer any aggressors. Muttering a small prayer of thanks, she looked around. her people were limping and helping each other. She could see a few dead soldiers, but only that, a few. Many more were injured, and healers were already attending to them...she would need to see them about her arm, that's for certain.
Looking now to Gabbiano, she grimaced at him. He looked tired, as he should. She was as well, but probably not so, she couldn't afford it. The bandits had been defeated, but they would be back if they lingered for longer than required. Waving away a few soldiers that came to tend to her, Marle moved slowly to Gabbiano.
"We can't stop to rest for too long, but do what you have to. We have to get into Sacae before we do. it'll only be a few hours travel...I think, taking into mind the wounded. We'll bury the dead there as well."
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Post by gabbiano on Jul 24, 2010 20:44:41 GMT -6
Gabbiano watched unsteadily, emotions unchanging, as the bandits retreated with their leader. He looked to Marle, who took a knee to the rock that had struck her head.
The thief rushed over to her, careful not to startle, and gave her a look of mere sincerity. A rock to the head couldn't have felt very good.
He listened attentively as she spoke of the current and dire situation, then looked gravely to the bodies of the wounded and those dead. His expression saddened, and upon walking away from Marle, took to a body of a simple dead soldier. Gabbiano knew nothing of this man, however, he spoke to the lifeless corpse. "Rest, my friend. Your work is finished." He closed the visor on his helmet, and raised the soldiers arms atop each other on his chest like he'd been raised to do with the dead.
Walking back to Marle, he addressed her seriously. "Aye, and make haste we must." He glanced about, watching the recovering soldiers. He smiled at Marle, offering a hand up. "Well, shall we go then?"
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Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
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Post by Marle Daviau on Jul 24, 2010 22:17:03 GMT -6
Watching for a moment as Gabbiano seemed to sympathize for the dead man. A man whom Marle didn't even know that well herself, despite being the commander. She kept quiet for a moment as she snagged her helmet off her head, and caressed the wound that the rock had made on it. She had a terrible headache now, that just would not go away, or probably would not until later in the day.
Taking Gabbiano's hand, she pulled her tired body up onto unsteady feet. Hurriedly, soldiers and servants both, did what they could. The wounded were already upon the carts, as the dead were being picked up as well. Only the Ilian dead, though. She left the bandit's bodies for someone else to deal with should they ever...that would have wasted too much time.
"Yes...come, lets move. It's only a few hours walk until we reach the end..then we'll be in Sacae."
Smiling happily to Gabbiano, she began to issue commands for the lines to form once again. Tired soldiers made ranks and then filed down the rocky pass. The men and women were quiet, all in their own way saying a quiet prayer of thanks for being alive, possibly, or saying one for the now departed. What a horrible start of the journey.
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