The First Few Steps

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It was a rather pleasant day to be sure, the sun smiling down on the plains with a kindly sparkle. The sky was only the most wondrous shade of blue to be seen, soft and gentle not a cloud to be seen for miles. The planes of course were an ever expanding golden field swaying softly in the breeze.

Silently taking in the sadly uniform scenery a young lass lay staring up at the sun. Biting her lip she reached over into her pack and pulled out a hunk of bread and took a large bite chewing slowly. Travel food was rather unpalatable, it was made to be as long lasting a cheap as could be . Though mentally she was slapping herself over her dislike of the food. If this was going to be one of her challenges why would she even bother setting off in the first place. It was up to her to harden her resolve, did she wish to find him or not? Emon had been missing for almost a year already.

He had left suddenly, in the middle of the night without a word to their father or anyone else. All that had been left behind was a note, hastily scrawled in his hand saying that he would return home soon enough. Though what was troublesome was that he did not specify where he was going or what he would be doing. All that had been left behind was his sword, the one he received from his father when he had come of age. It was the only personal item she had taken when she had left home the day before.

Lyrt pushed herself up into a sitting position with a soft outtake of breath ungracefully shoving the rest of the sand bread into her mouth. "I suppose it is time to move again..." she said softly getting up to her feet and picking up her bow from the ground where she had placed it before she had taken her break. It was only her second day of travel and she did not know where the wind would take her. It had been planned that she would ask about in nearby villages for any sightings of him.

Shouldering her pack she began to walk off down the road her mind to herself. All was quiet, no sound to be heard but the sway of grass and whistle of the wind. Though far in the distance she spied two dark shapes moving closer and closer,both moving towards her.

Soon enough she could see two men, both with a considerable lack of hygiene. Though she stood still and smiled kindly up at them with the common courtesy.

"Here a piece'a tart for you" one of them leered down with a toothless grin "what a lass like yuh' doing out here all alone?" The other just stood behind giggling like a child with a rather toothy grin.

She looked up at them quietly not sure what to say to the strangers "I am looking for my elder brother" Lyrt said softly taking a slight step back "He is...tall...his hair is black and tied back..." she stared down at her feet nervously. "He has a sword...he should I think..umm..."

The man leaned forward grabbing her chin and pulling it up to face him, his breath was rather horrid to be sure. "Sure we did, down back dat' way in da' village. We will take yuh' there."

"Y-you sure?" she asked hesitantly staring up at him her large ruby eyes filled with hope. Had her brother been close that whole time and she simply did not know

The thug scoffed "nah, all you sacaen scum look all da' same, almost all of yah' look just like dat', just be good and come along quietly." He hissed grabbing onto her arm in a firm grip starting to pull her along.

Immediately she retaliated leaning down to bite deeply into his arm the thug letting out a cry of anger and releasing her. Hr quickly pulled back his arm preparing to strike her though, she was already a reasonable distance away running as fast as she was able the two starting their pursuit.

[Jya]

Jya was taking an afternoon nap within Sacae. Valorian had walked out on her after his confession and she had lost track of him. Did she say something wrong? It's not like she could lie to one of her most important friend and she really couldn't relate to the man as such. Now that she had lost track of one friend, she had seemed to lost track of all them. In desperation or perhaps hope, she had made her way back to Sacae in search of Calvin, Isabel, or Tara. It was no use though and she knew it...

All the events that had lead up to this point made her uneasy to say the least. She had planned to help his friend in killing whoever he needed her to. Now she felt lost, unsure of exactly what to do. There was no friend to protect or reasons to fight unless its for self-defense. Maybe she was demoting herself to a simple weapon but nonetheless she was a weapon without direction. It made her feel a bit useless.

With her new found or rather restored senses, she had at the very least began to enjoy the world as it is. She had come to appreciate good food, brighter and more colorful worlds and not needing to take daily medicine. Perhaps this brought another sense of identity issue. She had always been that sick child but now that she was free from restraints, what exactly was she? All this worry had brought much concern and at times nightmares that she was unable to explain.

Her mood for today was a mix of being calm and frustrated. She had spent most of her day laying around. She wanted to move but she had no sense of where exactly. In the end, she had made little to no progress to get to the next town. It was hopeless for her, she begged for something to do, even if it was getting harassed or mugged by others.

As she laid on the ground, she heard a sudden rushing like someone passed by. As she was lying on her belly, she immediately perked up and looked to see the source. A girl had passed by, her hair the color of Ilian snow. She stared for a few seconds but decided not to worry about it, as it had nothing to do with. It would have continued to be that way, if not for the two men that chased after her, screaming and shouting about something.

In some ways she could have left it alone. Yet, her stress had built up to the point that she was almost looking for trouble. With that in mind, she practically jumped up from her camouflaged stop and began to run after them, her hand placed carefully over her slim sword.

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Lyrt ran swiftly her feet kissing the ground and leaping up again, and again, and again. Her feet screamed in pain from the distance and her chest burned but she pushed through feeling a rush. She did love to run so, the wind ripping past her trying to push her back. But she pushed though eyes wide and heart pounding in her chest.

If she even wanted to stop she could not with the two pursuing her so stubbornly, she did not wish to have anything happen to either one. It was painful to think of hurting someone and all the same being hurt would be just as horrid in the end. Could she kill someone? Did she even have the courage?

On the plains she had hunted the small rabbits that hopped about scrounging for food in the late lazy afternoons. They were not much of a challenge though, it was what her tribe's children were first taught to hunt after the straw targets. Even then rabbits did not cry out when harmed, and from afar one could not see their eyes widen in a momentary horror as the life slipped from them.

In a moment's decision she lifted her bow up and cocked a single arrow a feeling of slight fear entering her heart as she skidded around sending up a cloud of dust that momentarily blinded her. Chocking from the dust she coughed eyes watering horridly as she let an arrow fly.It was simply a warning, and she had aimed it at the ground in front of them to make sure the two pursers saw it.

The two stopped and stared down at the arrow lodged in the dirt wondering if there was some sort of trick to it. "Horrid aim" the taller of the two observed his tooth grin returning "ay', da' lass can't aim!" He chuckled looking over to the shorter man before continuing his persistent pursuit of the sacaen.

As they ran towards her once again amusement eminent in their beady eyes she let out a loud squeak and stiffened the two dashing towards her with new vigor and her simply stuck in place. Fear was obvious in her own crimson eyes as she watched them grow closer and closer her legs turning to blades of grass unable to stand on their own.

They were so close he could almost smell the stench of their breath when she regained control and dove away under his grabbing arm and taking off in the other direction. Only when her desperation left her and she could see clearly did she notice the pile of grass moving towards her. Letting out a soft cry her pulled her arms up over her head and prepared for a collision letting out a soft cry.

[Jya]

Jya wasn't sure how she was to keep up for so long. Although she had fall more endurance than before but that didn't mean she was used to it. The lack of breath was a welcoming experience after all the moping around in the plains. She now a guide for her blade and that excited her to no end.

As she bound through the sea of grass, she had decided to kill. It wasn't a monumental decision, she had done it many times to her enemy. However it meant she will end a life again. She no longer felt much remorse for her actions. It was all for the sake of living in this world.

As her steps came closer and closer to the men, she had almost forgot her reason. It wasn't until the girl threw her arms up as if to shield herself did she notice the girl. She clenched down on her teeth and leap around the girl, curling around the girl's body to avoid hitting her. At the same moment she drew her slim sword and brought the blade down on one of their necks. There was no time for true surprise as she severed an artery and he fell forward. One down but the other will do is beyond her.

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Lips parted ready to scream Lyrt braced herself for an impact that never came. Her eyes widened in surprise, where had the grass gone? Besides for that why had she accepted the grass running so easily, grass couldn't run. Now that she thought about it...it did look strangely human shaped. Slightly curious she started to turn back to glance at what it was only to have her foot get stuck in a small rabbit hole.

She lurched forward and slammed down hard onto her side unceremoniously, she did have the worst luck to be sure. What little pride she had was heavily bruised but she still glanced up staring at the woman who had stepped in, well...the grass woman.

Dressed in green she stood there a blade stained in the blood of the man she has slaughtered like a boar being prepared for a feast. He lay on the ground mouth wide trying to scream but only a mere gurgle could be heard as the life ebbed from his eyes and he lay motionless blood fertilizing the land. The other of the two, the live one growled drawing his axe and sung it at her letting out a loud cry of rage at his companion's death.

Lyrt stared at it all quietly, she had seen people die before, it was rather common, but the sight of it brought about by hand frightened her. "Dead" she mumbled staring at his body "He..is dead?" she glanced up and down looking between the three before steadying herself. It was to be sure she would see more death. There was little point to let it frighten her, yet death all the same was...

[Jya]

Jya glanced at the dying man. He struggled to breath, his breath coming out in gasps before he finally fell over. He was simply incapable of uttering a word due to the way she had sliced his throat. It was a precise attack and she was able to do it thanks to her experience.

"Who the hell are you?" the other man demanded, his voice was shaken and he sounded hoarse. He gripped his axe until his knuckles turned white. If she wasn't careful she might get an axe over her chest. To keep some form of mystery, she sheathed her sword and took hold of another blade.

As she did the transition between blades, the man recoiled a step back. She shook her head as if disappointed by his actions. His hand drew out her mat cruel sword, her killing edge. It was an elegant sword but not something anybody want to get killed by. The man gulped for a start. She ran the end of the sword a little away from her neck, the implication was clear. It was enough for the other man to high tail out of there.

"You okay?" she asked, taking off the veil over her mouth.

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Lyrt sat up watching the other scramble away as quickly as he could wailing out in fear and horror of what he had just seen. He seemed to slowly shrink in the distance before he was just a speck in the distance not stopping for even a moment to breath.

After a few moments of stunned silence she pushed herself clumsily to her feet using her bow as a crutch to help her find her balance. "Oh...yes I am fine" she replied with a soft chuckle "I am sorry for causing you trouble." Giving a soft smile she reached out to grab her fallen arrow and place it back into the quiver staring at the woman curiously. She looked...different. Without a doubt she was not sacaen though she could not tell from where.

"Ah...I am Lyrt from the Kidai Tribe, thank you for your assistance" she bowed her head politely and then went back to staring at her curiously studying her face. Her brother had always told her that nice people could be told fro their eyes and this woman certainly did have nice eyes.

[Jya]

"It was no trouble at all," Jya replied with a happy tone. It seems as though she had just finished a daily stroll. Truth be told, she wasn't prepared to fight two people at once. If the man had chose to stand his ground than she would most likely have killed too. Another problem was soon to arise though, he more than likely had friends and that meant they should scram out of there.

"Nice to meet your Lyrt, I'm Jya," she replied with her own greeting. By the way she responded it was safe to conclude that she was Sacaen. She didn't look like the usual bunch that Jya had encountered for her visits. Many of them had darker hair but how would she know? People are always different in some way.

"Best get moving before his friends catch up," she stated, remaining calm as she was being examined by Lyrt. Did she seem odd? The most change that came upon her looks was that she dropped her hair down. It was no time to scrutinize other people's habits, so she simply sheathed her killing edge along with her array of other swords and began to make way from the opposite direction the man had taken.

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Lyrt nodded and started to walked after the older girl something strange pulling her back. She stopped staring down at the body spreadeagled on the ground. Jya had killed him so quickly, it nearly frightened her to think of her sheer strength. It did not seem to take even the slightest effort to do the bloody deed. The poor man had never stood on the same ground.

Crouching down beside him the girl lightly brushed her fingers over his horror stricken eyes and closed the lids, respectfully bowing her head. Death seemed so fickle at times, but then it was slammed down before an individual that all must return to the earth from which they came, it was simply their destiny as people. Quietly she recited a phrase read in an old foreign text that she had come across in a bazzar.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

It was not a phrase she fully understood, yet somehow the words rolling off her tongue felt just right for the moment. After a minute of crouching down beside him in respect she straightened up and ran after the girl in the green a sizable distance away by now.

Lyrt breathed heavily as she jogged towards her having not fully recovered from her dash from before. "Are..you..." she panted having to stop to catch her breath before falling into step beside her at a merry pace. "Are you hurt?" she gasped out starting to look over her worriedly for any sort of wound "I have some herbal salves that could help with any ailment you may have, I have... belladonna thought I doubt that would be of any use...umm..."

The girl began to paw through her bag picking up various jars here and there of different colored pastes and liquids, it almost seemed like she had a while apothecary with her. "Ephedra...Hoodia...Peppermint...ah! Here it is! Equisetum!" She held up a jar filled with an iridescent jam like substance. "I can tend to any ailment, though sunshine, rest, and comfort is the best way for it to heal."

Jya was obviously not sacaen, but her hair was so dark...unlike her own white strands that floated about her head like a cloud when let down. "Jya?" she asked trying to get her attention before speeding into her barrage of questions. "Where are you from? How did you become so strong?" Her voice was laced with undying curiosity that was rarely satisfied.

"Have you seen a tall man around in his early twenties, he has dark hair that is braided down to his waist and his eyes are a dark brown." She continued to describe the average sacaen man in that age range. "He has been missing for a year already..." A shadow passed over her eyes for a mere moment and then she piped down "I apologize...I thought it best to get all of the questions out of the way at first"

[Jya]

Jya looked over as Lyrt caught up to her step. What was she to do with the snow haired girl? She couldn't just leave her for dead, she sticks out in the grass like a thumb. She had always stuck to green though and it was probably a good idea to leave Ilia. Now she would stick out there.

"I'm fine, I don't need any herbs," she replied, recognizing a few of them. The amount she carried reminded her of all those bottles she had to log around. At least it made her feel lighter.

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't seen him," she replied. So she had a purpose at least. It made her feel a pang of jealousy. If she helped her out then perhaps she could find her other friends as well. It wasn't a likely scenario but she had nothing better to do.

"As for where I'm from, I think I was born somewhere in Etruria but I can't quite figure out where," she answered, her eyes narrowing, trying to pick out the location.

"I'm not strong at all but if you'd like I'll help you out, I really don't have anywhere to go."

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Lyrt pulled a small cake out of her bag and took a bite, running made her ravenous. The snow haired girl relished the taste of the honey cake, such a treat especially when traveling. Her father had given it to her as a parting gift, one of her many parting gifts. It was his youngest child's first time leaving off to travel, so he had given her a full pack and her new bow. It felt nice, the string so tense and the iron so beautifully embossed and compared to her old bow that she had clumsily crafted herself it was no where near the craftsmanship of the iron bow.

"Thats good...it would be unfortunate if you were by chance injured because of me." The girl smiled up kindly at the woman taking another bite of the cake then pausing. It would be rather rude not to offer such a treat to someone who had assisted her. Carefully she broke the cake in half and offered it to her "its really tasty, you should try it."

Where would she go anyways, Jya did not seem to have any plans either. At first the idea of aimlessly searching for her brother seemed to be a fine set plan. Yet where would she start? And end? Silently she brooded over it her mind slipping to Lycia. He had always wanted to see it after what had happened to Ostia, "places won't be there forever so you have to see them all before they crumble" he used to tell her as a child.

"I think I will go to Lycia" Lyrt said with a smile "if you have nowhere to go you could come, traveling without a companion is a rather sad fate."

[Jya]

Jya graciously accepted the cake. Through her healing she had learned to enjoy food although she still ate whatever she could catch out in the wild. She even considered to start up cooking, with the extra money she had spent on medicine, she was able to buy better supplies. The sweetness of the cookie seemed to melt in her mouth.

"Don't worry about it," Jya reassured Lyrt. She wasn't afraid of getting hurt, especially after that arrow incident. She wasn't completely frightened of archers though.

Jya considered the implications of going to Lycia. It seemed simple enough and it wasn't like she feared anyone there. Perhaps her friends had already left for that nation. She only nodded an approval, checking up on blade. She will need to wipe the blood off before it rusts. Blades need to be properly maintained after all.

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Lyrt beamed pleasantly when the other girl took the cake happy to be able to in some way compensate for the trouble she had caused. "Its my grandmother's recipe" she chattered trying to break the tense silence. "She traveled all over and learned different foods from each country and brought them back to sacae, many of my tribe did not approve but I think they still liked the anticipation to trying new foods"

The girl continued to make ample chatter a smile plastered to her lips. She hoped she was making Jya feel comfortable, she was not. Speaking so much in idle moments was not something she liked. The silence gave her time to think, and hearing the wind calmed her. Though she had heard that foreigners love to speak aimlessly so she hoped it would help.

Unknown to her in the far distance behind the two five figures dashed, one on horseback and the rest carrying axes. They did not seem to feel much about the element of surprise for they jeered and whopped as loud anything Lyrt had ever heard. Silenced she turned on her heel eyes widening from surprise at the figures that were slowly growing closer. "Ah..." she glanced to her side seeing if the other girl had noticed. "I don't know where Lycia is actually..." she chuckled lightheartedly "should we ask them?"

[Jya]

Jya head snapped off in the distance. Oh dear, were they the same bandits that had crossed by. Even if she was strong it would be near impossible to face so many at once unless she could silently kill them off. She was warned against assuming but self preservation was the smartest way to go. Unlike her clothing Lyrt, stood out but for now she should hide. It was her crime after all.

"I'm not sure they are friendly," she warned Lyrt, before diving into the grass and started to try hiding herself. She blended in well enough and it wasn't totally obvious. With that she held tight to her sword in case she had to pounce at any moment. The girl was nice but she truly was naive and new at this travelling business. It didn't take long for Jya to realize the dangers of strangers. She learned early and quick.

The five figures were approaching fast, and she noted that they were looking out for something. She kept quiet though, waiting and expecting. If they were friendly its still better being safe than sorry.

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Lyrt glanced around Jya having disappeared so suddenly though her voice rang out from nearby. The girl swiveled around looking for where she had gone her mind unable to understand why. They were simply travelers same as themselves, was it not rude to act as so? Maybe it was foreigner's ways to distrust immediately, she would have to ask after she proved her suspicions wrong. Though similarly it would be rude to ask it in a mocking way...she would have to word it carefully.

The men finally caught up to them their faces red and stinking of sweat their chest's heaving to breathe. "Y-ya..." the man in the front gasped hefting his axe up "ya will di-"

Lyrt broke in suddenly cutting off the man "Excuse me, do you know the way to Lycia?" she asked noticing the man in back as the one whom had run away from before and a slight air of unease filled her. Maybe he was there to apologize for before, it was rather kindly of him to do so.

The five stared at her obviously surprised by her lack of fear or any of the sort emotion showing, even blatantly asking for directions. "Lass, silence" the one that seemed to designate as the leader bellowed lifting up his axe "die for killin' rodney!" Lyrt suddenly rolled back the blade nicking her thigh though she did not let out any mention of it simply drawing her bow and noking an arrow to it. "no worrie" the one from before called "she can't shoot."

Lyrt stared long and hard at the leering men trying to make them into something more...killable, she imagined them as rabbits, the leader certainly looked like one at that. If she didn't shoot him she couldn't eat. Crimson eyes surveyed the rabbit before her and shot, the twang of a bow and a sickening sound, and then he let out a scream the arrow lodged in his stomach.