To Soothe the Soul [Open]

[Nyroshea]

Nyro watched the axe whirl about--that form in which it oscillated was dazzling, almost breath taking. "Ooohhhh....." -- in a flash the axe was deflected. That guy was good. Damn good even. It looks like he wasn't lying about being a former military officer. But... who was that with the arrows? Nyro glimpsed at the woman, wearing an outlandish Garment. They were from a place he hadn't been too familiar with... the place Sclaevinius took him through once upon a time..? They were akin to his own--ah! Now isn't the time to think about such trivial things. He had to get away so that his comrades would be able to fight more comfortably.

Nyroshea moved a few paces back, this time finding refuge behind of a tree. He didn't dare wander too far off, incase there were more of them elsewhere in the bushes, but this should have been enough distance to give the man freedom to swing his word without a care in the world.

... Still, there was an upset feeling in his stomach. The two strangers were fighting amicably to protect him--and all he could do was stand there like a damsel in distress. There must be something..... something he could do.

Before he knew it, the man had struck down one of the axe-men, that was an alleviating sight! But the others, were making charge for him. The orange haired man swayed his hand, motioning for his fellow axeman to pursue the archer while he went for Nyroshea.

"Ah've got ya this time." the orange haired man swung his axe, it ... broke through the tree in a fell swoop, the timber fell towards the side where his gash had come from. Creaking as it fell, Nyro's eyes widened in shock. What kind of weapon was that..? That axe was made of something finer than his comrades hatchets...

Nyroshea scoops a track of sand in his hand as the man leans over the broken tree, and -- scatters sand in his eye "Magic soil!" he shouted as if casting a spell--a pox of a spell. But effective all the same.

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In the fray: against Tamaya

The man who had gone after the archer had a bit of bulk to him, with a smuggish grin on his face. He was a man of few words, much like the archer. ". . ." his large feet stamped across the ground as he made way towards her, he was awfully quick for such a large fellow. He threw his hatchet upwards, and instead brought about his arm to backhand her. His swing was not nearly as quick as his capability to run, but it was a firm hand that would surely hurt upon impact.

Why didn't he used his axe? Was he trying to be stylish? Or did he have other plans for the woman besides avenging the death of his comrades? Either way, one thing was for certain; it wouldn't be good.

______________________________________________________________

In the fray: against Tiz

The man with the pole arm -- the one disguised as a soldier had taken note of Tiz's attempt to intervene with his comrades plans. He was likely overlooked due to his appearance, but the why's hadn't mattered to him. He swung his pole arm into a horizontal spin as he turned around, not particularly trying to kill the swordsman, but just impede his progress. "Back off." he uttered, his voice a tad muffled by the iron over his face. He had a good footing, obviously having some experience in using a lance unlike his axe-bearing brethren. His body was clad in light armor, but it was armor all the same, so it wouldn't be as easy to stop him as it were the other two, surely. If nothing else, he appeared to be the most skilled.

[Shugo]

Shugo flew over the horizon scanning the forest. It was his normal route. He would fly around a bit and see if he could spot some trouble. If he did he would help. If he did not then it would be another fine day and Shugo would simply fish and feast. It was sad, but Shugo had turned his patrols into a little game with himself. He would bet if he found something in the morning and if he won he would treat himself to a treat. However if he lost then he would force himself to eat veggies all day. Today Shugo made another bet with himself. He figured he would find something, and he was starting to regret it.

"Great another day of potatoes and leeks", spoke Shugo as he rode on the back of Luna. The boy rider was pretty much done. He gave up on finding anyone, but kept Luna in the sky off principle alone. Shugo said he was going to patrol for 8 hours and 8 hours he was going to get. As Luna flew over the forest Shugo noticed something unusual or more like Luna did. The Wvyern let out a loud scream which grabbed Shugo's attention. The young boy looked down to see a tree falling over in the forest. "What is going on down there", spoke Shugo as he tapped Luna on the side. The wyvern lowered there altitude and began to decend down into the woodland. As the duo got close to the tree tops Shugo jumped off Luna and landed on one of the branches. The Wvyern stayed in the air for a moment as Shugo investigated what was going on.

Shugo watched from the tree as what seemed like a young girl struggling against a orange haired man. The boy's heart rate increased and his brow lowered. If there was anything Shugo hated more than Orange hair then somebody needed to tell him. A Orange hair man with an axe caused his parents to die and kidnapped him from his home. A Orange hair man with an axe destroyed the peace he once knew and ruined his life. A Orange hair man with an axe whipped out an entire village for the jollies and left to sacae. Shugo was tired of it. He had no idea if all these people in his life and the stories of others were connected, but he knew that it needed to be stopped.

Rather than completely jump to concussions Shugo grabbed his iron lance from his back and tossed it down in front of the man. The weapon just missed the brigan's head and separated his path from the young maiden in distress. "You have the count to three to walk away now Brigand", spoke Shugo from the tree tops. The man stopped for a moment and looked up at Shugo.

[Tiz]

Leaping back with great force, Tiz just barely missed the horizontal drag of the spear that would have otherwise easily cut into his stomach. It scared him a bit, but his reflexes kept him on foot, ever ready for whatever was coming next. He looked past the lance-wielder at his companion, who was alone, without a weapon, fighting an armed foe. This sent a chill down Tiz's spine; his path was blocked, he would not be able to get to the man to help save the kid until he had dealt with this guy in armor. He worried that the kid might lose her life, but recognizing that he could do very little, Tiz cursed his fate and readied his weapon. He pulled his sword in front of him, grasping the curved hilt with both hands in front of him. A solid, defensive position-- one of the first he had been taught. This man had the upper hand, very clearly, and this fight would be difficult. Focused, his feet in place, ready to parry or counter, Tiz waited. He glanced over the man's shoulder again at the kid. crap, he thought to himself, this was bad. He couldn't let the kid die. But he truly had no other choice...

Then the soldier was upon him again, a forward thrust of his spear that Tiz couldn't effectively parry. As the spear came forward, Tiz leaped backwards again, swinging downwards and knocking the lance out of its directed path. He hadn't been given an opportunity to counter, and he was losing ground. Fast. He needed to get the upper hand somehow... But he wasn't sure how. His sword wouldn't cut the armor easily, and the man had a lance, just the weapon Tiz was worst at fighting against. This wasn't looking good. The solider was purposefully pushing Tiz away from the girl. He needed to charge-- maybe scaring the soldier would work.

Tiz readied his blade, rearranging himself so that the blade was brought up near his head, pointed forward at the man. Tiz leaped forward, pushing off the balls of his feet with great speed. He brought his arms forward, aiming a pointed strike in the middle of the man's chestplate. It wouldn't hurt him, he knew that-- but it would shock him, maybe stagger him, and give Tiz a chance to strike at the mesh between the plate and the leggings. That's the opening he needed.

The man brought his lance forward, but Tiz was faster. His strike landed, scratching the chestplate terribly and sending the man back just a few feet. When Tiz's feet hit the ground, however, the solider had his lance coming in another horizontal spin around him. Tiz tried to jump above its range, but it was too high. He got hit with the thick wooden shaft of the spear, and when he was knocked to the side, the solider followed through excellently with another pointed thrust right at Tiz's sword arm. He was just barely able to deflect it, at the cost of a small gash across his hand that bled profusely. Tiz tried to counter, coming at the man from a downward, diagonal angle, one that the lance wasn't in line to deflect. It grazed the mesh between the armor platings, and Tiz could see the blood forming. The soldier swung his lance around again, like a bat, and knocked Tiz flat. He came down, gripping the lance pointed downward with both hands, and tried to shove it straight into Tiz's heart.

Instinctively, Tiz rolled along the ground, watching the spear pierce deep into the earth where his body has been milliseconds ago. Without time to even breathe, Tiz was on his feet again, sword at the ready. He was breathing heavily. This man WAS skilled, despite his slightly short stature and lanky build. He hadn't done much damage, and was tiring himself out. The young swordsman knew he was fast, but he wasn't sure how he could use his speed to defeat this man. His thoughts drifted to the girl, but he had to shake it off and refocus for the battle he was currently engaged in.

[Tamaya]

Tamaya drew another arrow, aiming it at the cluster of men and firing it, only to see it go slightly awry and land harmlessly in the ground near the man with the lance. Damn. That was not what she needed. Then, the Nomad's mouth hardened into a grimace as she saw a man advancing toward her, axe in hand. Great. That was exactly what she wanted - to be singled out in close combat. Not her strong suit.

But then the man tossed his axe aside. Tamaya barely saw his arm, and twisted out of reflex - suddenly, all she knew was that she was spinning, and there was a sharp, sudden pain above her right breast. Stumbling backwards, the Nomad saw the man's leering smile... And then she saw red as he taunted her.

"Ah, ye're nice and soft and young, eh. Ah've got plennae of things Ah could do to ye... C'mere!"

Stooping, the man grabbed his axe and winked, charging at the woman, who had slowly risen from the ground, her bow still laying in the weeds and her fists clenched, one more loosely than the other. As the brigand neared her, Tamaya whipped her hand forward and released the jagged rock she had been holding with a death grip.

The stone hit the man squarely in the mouth, and as he bent double, blood tinting his hands red, Tamaya grabbed her bow and ran towards the swordsman and the girl, nocking an arrow and looking in disgust at the red outline of the man's hand near her clavicle. She shuddered at the thought of what he would have done...

[Tiz]

Swing after swing after swing, Tiz dodged and parried, with little hope of gaining any real upper ground. His work was easy enough-- the armor slowed the man down, to be sure, but the lance was a problem. Tiz couldn't get in close enough to do much damage, and the armor had only two real weak spots: right at the neckline, and at the waist. The waist was his best bet, considering how much of an upper hand the swordsman would have to have to get a clear strike at the soldier's neck. The spear came down once more, in a vertical slash downward, almost like a sword, and Tiz's blade met it at a perfect horizontal angle, canceling the momentum the soldier had, and effectively blocking his strike.

Tiz leaped backwards again, the dust settling around his ankles. His hand was still bleeding, and he was growing tired. The soldier came forward with another lunge, the hardest for Tiz to deal with, but this one was slow-- slow enough that he could sidestep it with little difficulty. The man missed the follow-through because of the power of his thrust, and Tiz used the opportunity with a prayer sent above to whatever gods would grant him favor. He swung quickly, with as much power as he had, down towards the man's wrist in an effort to disarm him. The man dodged, but let go of his spear, making the desired result come at a greater cost-- Tiz's sword lodged straight into the ground, and the man punched him in the gut. Falling backwards and losing his momentum, Tiz looked up as the man grabbed for his weapon.

No. Not again. He wouldn't let it happen. On his feet faster than lightning could've struck, Tiz used his left hand to grab the man's wrist as it tightened around the shaft of the spear, and pulled himself up off the ground using the man's weight. The trade off of energy between Tiz and the soldier was fierce: the man came towards the ground as Tiz came away from it. As he moved, he angled his slim blade right towards the man's waist. He closed his eyes and blessed the soldier as he felt his weapon pierce the uncovered part of his torso, ripping easily and noisily into his flesh and out the backside. The man's head leaned against Tiz's shoulder, and he let go of the spear.

With dirt covering his face, Tiz tried to drown out the noises the man made as he twisted the sword inside his gut. This was probably the most painful way to go, Tiz thought. Killing men never got easier, so he tried his best to avoid doing so, but in this case he had little choice. Tired and wounded, Tiz pulled his blade out and pushed the soldier off of him, laying him to rest on the ground just long enough to see the archer dashing from out of the woods.

"Sh*t," Tiz breathed aloud to himself, barely having the energy to do so. He was weak and injured, but he had two other tasks to attend to. Ignoring the child for now, Tiz looked towards the other men coming out of the brush as the archer ran out much faster than the axe-wielding man could manage. He had one shot at this, and if it failed, he was done. He was too tired to put up another fight like the one he just had. His chance was now, open before him. There was a tree right at the edge of the clearing with a low enough branch...

Standing quickly, and not brushing himself off, Tiz dashed forward. He brought his blade together with his waist, aligning it evenly, and looked towards the man as he sprinted at him. Good. He was right under the largest hanging branch. Tiz focused his mind, brought all the energy left in his body into his legs, and with a godlike augmented celerity, he leaped up and forward, flying across the groundcover with great speed. He grabbed hold of the branch and used his natural inertia to fling himself towards the man, parting his legs in the air as he did so.

Just as he had hoped, he landed the man's head right between his thighs, scissoring him effectively, and clenched his leg muscles. He quickly brought the man to the ground with an intense pound, ruffling the leaves and bushes around him. Brought down by the inertia Tiz had carried through the air as well as his own weight, the man was unconscious. Tiz stood over him, sword pointed down, wondering if it might be easier to kill him and move on. He didn't have much time. "Damn it," he said, cursing his fate again. He looked away, shoving the pointed, slender end of his blade into the heart of the man who was on the ground. No audible response. He was either out too cold, or Tiz blocked it out. He didn't know.

From where he was, he could no longer see the young girl. He saw the archer, running towards her. Maybe she could handle it. Exhausted, Tiz collapsed to the ground, leaning on his sword as it stuck out of the ground. He breathed heavily, sweat dripping from his face. He had taken out two men in just a handful of minutes. He closed his eyes. It had been since his military days that he was this brutal.

[Nyroshea]

This man... Was he not to kidnap the small child? Was the desire for revenge truly blazing within of him so that he might kill Nyroshea? That frustrated, distorted grin answered: yes, he very well may have been pushed beyond that brink. First it was his brothers, and now it had been his comrades who'd fallen. How long had they been together only to have been so dearly parted in a mere matter of moments? The life of a brigand had never been an easy one, but it was something to do to get by. If it were avoidable, there were very few who would voluntarily choose to live this life, where your only companions are those who linger in the same cesspool of misery, or vultures who hunger for coin and coin alone.

Friendship had been non-existent in their cold world. Good deeds were few and far apart. But even so -- a brotherhood was built up from the striving, amnesty forged from the eternal hatred. These gatherings would become bands or gangs of misfits toiling in the darker side of the grass. A side smeared in ugliness, without intelligence or beauty. He knew that nothing he would do could help his name become known, to rupture the pages of history eternally. He was just a brigand. But he had been fine living as he had until now.

"Ye damned lad!" as he had swiped the dust from his eyes, he furiously wound his axe overhead. The purple haired lad had scurried back on his bare, dirtied hands a good distance. But it wasn't so great a distance it couldn't be closed by the towering man. His anger was more blinding than the sand. If there was anything he would crave most the world right now--it was a bitter sweet taste of revenge against this punk kid.

Nyroshea let out a yelp, covering himself beneath his arms, as he looked away. ... ... Was this it? The end was near... Death had been incoming... Maybe it was for the better, who knew? The purple haired child had barely come to know what he would be losing, so, it was fine to die in ignorance, right? ... ... ... He did not feel the stroke of the man's axe pierce his flesh yet. He heard something hard hit the ground a yard or two from him. Peering his curious yellow hues only slightly, he could sigh in relief... A lance. From whom? Where?! Nyro and the pursuer looked upwards and beheld ...

...

"What..." "Is..." "That?!"

There was a youthful voice coming from high above ... But. That thing sealing the sky, shrouding it in darkness -- was definitely not the source. It had been an awesome sight. Stunning the escapee and the pursuer with fear and astonishment. "`ey wa..?" the orange haired man cut himself off. This couldn't be happening! Not again! He clutched his axe near his chest, taking a pace back from the lance. His steely grip became so tense that his palms began to bleed against the handle of his weapon. His rage subsided quickly, replaced by a torrent of traumatic visions.

His breath became heavy, and there was a small sense of dizziness. Whenever he had an ordeal with this outlandish-haired child, a dragon would appear. He could only curse his luck -- or was it his luck that had allowed him to survive for this long while pitted against what was an allegedly cursed child? Maybe he should count his blessings while he had them...

There had been no way of getting revenge, not as long as these dragons would exist. With a low, gurgling groan, the brigand tosses his axe over his shoulder. He'd come to far and lost too many comrades to let it all end here. Next time, he would need to bring something specifically designed to slay dragons ... But right now? He played meekly sheep and nodded his head, "A-a`ight a`ight... I wuz just `avin' a bit o` fun dere. No `ard feelings." he forced the biggest, cheesiest, most obviously non-genuine smile ever across his face. Making his way to exit stage left through some bushes.

...
"Naht de` most satisfyin` outcom`. But at least da boss won't find out ah`bout dis...."
...

Nyroshea had panted heavily. As the adrenaline set off, all of the pains and aches of his acrobatics and general anxiety kicked in. He brushed his hands against his shoulders as he shivered violently, still feeling the lingering chill of death at his neck... If not for this ... dragon and whomever had been on it, this could very well have been the last day of his on this earth.

".. A... ahn..." he panted out, finding it hard to form words right now, taking in everything that had just happened. Was this person even here to save him? Or were they just saving him from the brigand so that they could abduct him themselves? It was -- such an unusually negative thought for him, but with all the craziness today, he felt a lot more on-guard than he would usually. Bah, but that was rude.

"A.. t.... thank you...." he mumbled inaudibly, not sure if they could hear him from down there. He had extended a hand outwards, but then fell to his side, having fainted...

It was just too much at once for such a small body!

[Tamaya]

The Nomad woman saw a form fly by her - the swordsman, sailing through the air in a sudden burst of speed and agility. Quite impressive. She wished she had that sort of speed at her disposal. Actually, she wished she had a bow filled with the power of lightning. She really did. But she had to finish earning over three hundred more in gold... A task that was quite daunting. Magical weapons were expensive, man.

Shaking her head, Tamaya was about to fire when everything suddenly seemed to freeze and shatter. A wyvern-riding knight dropped from the sky, stopping everything and sending the brigands slinking off into the underbrush.

What on earth?

The Nomad's mind slowly tried to process everything, piecing it together until she sighed, firing the arrow into a nearby tree and exhaling forcefully. That man was more than unnerving... He was terrifying. But now he was dead, and everything seemed to be better.

Then the young child flopped over, crumpling in a heap. Her exhaustion and the strong desire to rip the tainted patch of skin the lecher had touched forgotten, Tamaya flew over to the child's side, her feet seeming to blur as she slid down beside Nyro. A quick hand to the neck established a solid heartbeat. The child had simply fainted. There was no sign of attack. But she had no idea who was friend and who was foe... This could be some sort of giant trap. So Tamaya nocked an arrow, looking warily at Tiz and Shugo.

[Shugo]

The brigand had surrendered. That was a pity. Shugo was going to kill him anyway. He just gave him the option because he was not sure of the situation. After a little more observation he was now sure that the man standing before him was a vilian. Still Shugo needed to go about this in a smart way. The axe wielding bag of meat was still closer to the young girl than he was. Suddenly another girl made her way into Shugo's sight. He entrance took the Brigands eyes off Shugo for a moment, which gave him the opportunity to strike. "Luna", spoke Shugo as the White Wyvern descended into the woods. With a great crashing the beast broke through the tree branches an landed on the ground. Its fangs present and its body covered in thick scales. Seeing Shugo's spear near the man the flying beast jumped into action. With its entire weight lunged itself at the brigand.

Desperate to survive the brigand swung his axe at the massive beast. The act was futile as Luna knocked the weapon away with her claws and sunk her mighty fangs into the man's left shoulder. With a single bit she ripped open his flesh and the brigand was no more. Shugo happy with the results jumped down from the tree branch and landed on the ground. The young boy was sure that the girl would be ready to fire. "Don't", spoke Shugo as he looked at her. The young rider had a serious expression on his face because of his thinking before. It was not really the most friendly look, but he needed to make it work. "We are not your enemy. I am just a simple Wyvenr Knight giving aid. I saw the young girl over there being assaulted by that corpse", spoke Shugo as he motioned his hand toward Luna who was consuming the man's body. "We don't mean anybody else any harm.", spoke Shugo as he looked into the women's eyes.

Don't shoot, don't shoot, don't shoot, thought shugo to himself as he stared at the women's bow. Shugo was sure Luna could take a arrow. She did have the magical shield. Himself however, well he was not sure. As a precaution Shugo left luna with the Delphi shield. It protected her from arrows in combat. He did not think he would need it, but with that bow pointed toward him he was not sure. Shugo had no intentions of hurting the girl, but with Luna ripping the brigand to pieces he was not sure if she would believe him.

[Tiz]

Tiz was exhausted. In truth, he could have so easily fallen asleep where he was, back in the depths of the forest, leaning against the tree with the blade in the ground at his side. He panted heavily. What a day this had been. It started out well enough, but it changed pretty quickly. Forcing himself to stand, the young swordsman pulled his blade from the ground, brandished it once in a wide, vertical sweep to his side, and brought it together with its sheath on his left hip. He shook his limbs out-- he was probably more okay than he thought he was. His injuries weren't severe; his fatigue was what kept him from feeling at his best. It had been a long while since he had needed to kill anyone. His blade was designed to incapacitate before all else, and normally he was able to use it as such. He sighed, walking out into the clearing towards the rest of the group.

Just then, he gasped and fell back to the ground, the world around him shaking furiously as a giant wyvern came down out of the sky and finished off the last man that Tiz had forgotten about. "N-No way," he breathed, struggling to maintain himself on the ground. What power... He hadn't seen one that color before. Where was its rider? He wondered. After it finished off the last man, the excitement seemed to die down enough for the group to reconvene somewhere. He wondered what had happened to the kid... He hoped she was still alive.

As he came through the clearing to assess the situation, he realized the tension in the air was thick. The archer had her bow loaded and ready to fire, and another child with similarly colored hair was standing on the far side of the pass, opposite of the archer, who was with the original little girl. Tiz sighed. He still didn't know any names. He wondered how he always found himself in these situations as he came out into the open. With a fierce, firm voice, he raised his hands and called out. "Let's take it easy," he coaxed, looking between the archer and the wyvern rider. "I think enough blood has been spilled. Let's all take a step back."

He hoped his words would reach someone. His green eyes shifted over to the girl. Surely... she hadn't died in the chaos, had she? He gulped. He prayed she was merely unconscious.

[Tamaya]

The nomad slowly stood down, lowering her bow and releasing the tension on the bowstring until she slipped the arrow back into her quiver.

"I know not who any of you are. I know not friend or foe, but any who seeks to do harm to the child is foe, and I shall fill them with my arrows. You, swordsman... You drew me into this fray, so it falls to you to explain this... this child, the brigands, the Wyvern Rider. I shall reserve my judgement until the story has been told."

The Sacaean woman, her eyes flashing with anger and confusion, stepped back, looking at the Rider, the Myrmidon, and the unconscious child. What on earth had happened to draw them all into this mess? What was the common link?

The child, of course. But there was no way of figuring out how all of the threads interwove unless the child could explain it. And at this point, she was unconscious on the ground. Not the best situation to be sorting out a mess of violence and confusion.

"When the child awakens, we will undoubtedly have a better understanding. But until then, speak, swordsman, for you dragged me into this conflict. I had no quarrel with any party until you brought me in, so I would like to know what prompted you to involve others... And why you chose me. I do not seek to kill for sport, and am loathe to engage in violence without a good cause."

[Shugo]

"Oh thank god", spoke Shugo aloud as the maiden lowered her bow. It was the first time Shugo had a bow pointed at him by a women. Most of the time it was dudes and bandits for that matter. Though they were usually aiming for Luna not himself. To be truthful it was in her favor to lower the bow than she would think. Luna was a fearsomely protective of Shugo and to make it worse she carried the scared shield. If she had shot Shugo it probably would not have ended well for her. Though Shugo kept that to himself. No reason to make anyone mad.

"You know just for the record I am not much older than her", spoke Shugo as he pointed toward the pass-out girl. It was not normally his thing to point out his age and try to get sympathy for it, but in this situation he was more than willing to try and exploit it. Mainly so that he does not get a arrow placed in his body. Shugo had been stabbed once before. It may not have been done by a arrow, but it sure hurt and that blow was shallow. A arrow to the chest most definable would have been painful. luna had not suffered any serious bolws from the bow, but Shugo had seen several wyverns get hit. They were almost five times the mass of him and they let off cries that hurt Shugo's soul. What would those pointy flying sticks do to him.

"Well just to start the part off", spoke Shugo going back to the women's question. "I did not choose you, but saw that somebody was being attacked here. So Luna and me descended from the sky and moved to investigate. It was then that we noticed the young one being attacked by a birgand and stepped in to put a end to it. If you want to see the brigand", spoke Shugo as he turned toward Luna. The wyvern had finished her work on the man and his crimson blood stained her scales around her mouth.

"Well never mind", spoke Shugo as he turned back around toward the archer.

[Tiz]

Tiz sighed, scratching his head. He raised his arms in surrender to the woman he'd just recently met and pulled into the mess. "Easy, easy," he said, a slight smile on his face. "Something tells me that there aren't any enemies in this company." He walked past the woman, looking towards the little girl who had passed out earlier. He knelt down beside her and placed the back of his hand against her forehead, and leaned his ear down against her mouth. She was warm, and breathing. Two good signs. He was pleased enough with this. The battered swordsman stood up to address the company, which he now realized was about the craziest bunch he had ever been around. He had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Well to start," the young man laughed, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "I pulled you into it because you happened to be there. In the hall, I mean, after the concert tonight. We, uh, were having a chat, myself and the girl here, and then someone waltzed in and dragged her off... I thought it was fishy, and I didn't have much time to rationalize, so I pulled the next able-bodied person around me. It happened to be you." He realized how ludicrous the story was, and even more so that it had yet to be finished. "Just who these people were... I have absolutely no idea. I figure the girl can probably tell us whatever we need to know once she's awake, but... I dunno, seemed like bad vibes to me. Clearly they were after her. Common bandits, I guess, but aside from that, I... really can't tell you much, haha." His eyes softened as he tried to convey the honesty in his story. It was wild and unbelievable, yet somehow it was the truth.

Tiz took a seat next to the girl who had passed out, hoping she would awaken soon. "Hopefully your reserved judgments don't land me dead," he said with another laugh, trailing off as he thought about the boy and his wyvern. However wild these events were, they were made significantly less believable by the addition of what Tiz figured was an albino beast. He watched through surprised eyes as the wyvern ate the man whole. How scary. Good thing she didn't seem hungry for Tiz.

"Look, I know this is a little crazy, but you have to understand I'm just as bewildered as you. One moment I'm enjoying a nice concert, the next I'm out here in the forest half-dead with two new bodies of blood staining my hands. Not sure where to go from here, really..." His voice trailed off again as he leaned his weight back on his arms, relaxing a bit, and looking up to the sky. "I guess I could've brought the guard, I don't know. Seems we should probably take this girl back to town and have her treated."

[Tamaya]

"You grabbed the nearest person to you, to chase after some child you had a hunch was being abducted?"

The nomad laughed openly, shaking her head. The Rider's story seemed believable - he had, after all, just dropped in. But who on earth would just grab someone and move in to fight a group he knew nothing about? He seemed like an awfully headstrong and impulsive character. In fact, he reminded her of one of her brothers, who always was rushing headlong into danger without another thought, whether it be to his safety or the safety of those around him.

"Surprisingly, I do understand you. And given what I saw, I do believe you. You did not spare any of the attackers. Even the most clever bandits would be loath to use a ruse that involved the slaying of their fellows.

That said, I cannot approve of your actions. What if we had been hopelessly outnumbered? Would you have my death, as well as that of the child, and your own, on your conscience? You must think, swordsman. Think before you charge, lest the enemy fill you with arrows from afar. You look to be of the plains... What tribe were you raised in, that you were not taught the value of planning? Ach, swordsman, I shudder for your well-being. I have seen my friends and family fall dead... And I wish that you do not suffer the same fate. Your instincts are true and pure, but you must temper yourself. Learn to wait, that you might see."

[Shugo]

"Well", spoke Shugo as he looked at the two. Luna had finished her snack and was now checking out the other two. She did not like the look of them and Shugo could tell. Luna would not attack, unless they attacked, but Shugo did not want to test her patience. She had just at the other guy and as a result she was more vicious today than usual. Not to mention the situation seemed to be defused. The brigands were dead and everyone standing here was on the same side, they all just did not know it. So rather than sit around and share words Shugo decided it would be better to get back to the skies. Who knows who else out there needs saving or what kind of creature needs taking down. "If you all don't mind", spoke the boy wonder as he jumped onto the back of Luna. Now Shugo was confident. His escape was pretty much assured.

"I will be taking my leave now. No one here has any intentions of hurting the young girl and everyone seems to be on the side of good. So lets just let time sort things out on this one. I really should be getting back into the skies. There could be somebody else in need of help. If any of you really want to talk to me about what happened I will be staying in the Inn in the next town over. Other than that I give you my good bye", spoke Shugo as he rubbed the back of Luna's head. The wyvern flapped her wings and took off. She broke through the weak little branches and flew off into the sky leaving the two plainsmen behind.

[Shugo Exit Thread]

[Tiz]

Initially, Tiz parted his gaze at the woman to look at the small purple-haired rider, who took back to the skies without much speech-- perhaps he was clear in conscience, and that his intent truly was to help however he could. It was noble, Tiz thought, slightly impressed. Especially for such a child. Assumedly the two of them, he and this girl with the bow, could take care of the child who now laid unconscious on the forest floor. What a predicament. This was among the top three craziest days of Tiz's life, he guessed. He could have laughed at his fate, at his luck, or lack thereof, but instead turned back to the woman.

Sighing heavily, Tiz closed his eyes and furrowed his brow. He'd heard this all before-- from his parents, from his comrades, from almost everyone, including his old superior officer in the League. It seemed no one understood-- or perhaps there was indeed merit in her words of counsel. After all, he would've been made quick work of, had the group had archers posted somewhere. She wasn't wrong... He didn't want to admit it to her, but he was too disgruntled to even consider having an actual discussion with this woman. Tiz was normally open to criticism, but this girl wasn't his mother. Ugh, he thought, I'm so done with this lecture.

"Look," he began nicely, his hand atop his head. This was all giving him a headache. "When you're in a situation that could lead to the potential death of a child, weighing options and risks comes secondary to saving lives. I will always believe that. If I die in the line of duty protecting a child, so be it-- better our lives together than hers alone, because then I would have to watch her die in front of me, helpless." He opened his eyes, looking directly at the archer.

"I'm sorry I roped ya into this. That was my fault-- I should've known better. But would I have reconsidered charging through here, even without you, knowing the outcome? No, probably not," he smiled, offering a genuine laugh, diffusing the tension he had created. "If I can help, I'm going to. I don't fight for my safety-- I fight for that of others, regardless of the danger. That's what the League taught me. But... Your words aren't wrong, and if I had stayed in Sacae long enough to be taught these things, perhaps my mind would be a bit different."

The young man stood, approaching the archer, and held out his hand, offering a shake and a smile drawn across his face. "Tizato Ciel, former captain of the 1st Swordfaire Division, Lycian League. It's a pleasure to meet you. Perhaps you can teach me to see some things while you help me carry this girl in for medical attention."