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Post by Shara Tiinedra on Jan 14, 2017 12:46:00 GMT -6
A light beyond their own began to flicker along the walls of the cave. Shara...very highly doubted that it belonged to the magical cult. Their presence had been noticeable enough for the rumor to spread to her, yet that rumor also mentioned that they disappeared quite some time ago. Whoever held that torch, or perhaps fire magic, down the tunnel was most likely an enemy. The worst part was that the two had no immediate way to kill their own torches.
Which of course, meant that just as they could see the other torch bearer's light, they could see the theirs.
“What the...hey! Who goes there?” There was a distinct sound. A scrape of metal, the sound of a sword being drawn. Shara's mind raced and she stopped in her tracks. There was still a chance that the man around the corner was NOT someone inherently evil. He could be a simple mercenary, holed up in the cave to wait out the poor weather. Could simply be a lost traveler. As much as Shara wished to defend herself, she still wasn't about to attack someone without provocation.
Besides, she was incredibly limited in the tunnel. Outside of basic hand-to-hand, which she hadn't properly utilized in far too long, and the strength a small half-shift could lend her, she was defenseless.
“Wait for him to come around. We cannot hide, and WE are the invaders. Our only chance to get through here without resorting to violence is to co-operate at first. But stay on guard.” Shara whispered swiftly to Samantha as the other light grew brighter and larger. Sure enough a man turned around the wall, sword in one hand and torch in the other. He held the torch out towards the ladies to get a better look...
The grin that spread on his face was all Shara needed to see to decide on their next course of action.
“Scratch that. As soon as you spot an opening, attack.” Another harsh whisper. Shara would let the mage open first. She'd rather not abruptly blow her cover as a more or less helpless woman. Not while there was just one enemy.
“Well 'ello ladies.” The man said as he stepped closer to them. “You know you two ought to knock before you barge into someone's home...”
“Yes, because rapping my knuckles on a rock wall sounds like a marvelous idea.” Came Shara's dry reply as her body began to tense. The man simply let out a belly laugh before he held his sword out to the both of them.
“Well I'll forgive you this time, but I'm gonna need the two of you to come with me now...”
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Post by Samantha Khione on Jan 15, 2017 22:00:11 GMT -6
This wasn't an inherently bad situation, but it could become so quickly. There was someone else in this cave with them, and to fully understand their intentions, they would pretty much have to meet face to face. If it was just someone hiding from the storm, things would be fine. If it was someone less savory... They would need to act fast. Shara was right to suggest that they stay on guard. Samantha still wasn't quite sure the woman would do if they needed to fight. Perhaps nothing at all and it would be down to Sam.
When the man finally appeared around the corner, the blue haired mage didn't need the whisper from Shara to know what that look meant. This man was no friend to them, that much was clear from his smile. She wasn't quite sure what ideas hid behind that smile, but she was sure she wouldn't like it. Holding her torch out in front of her with one hand, she let her other slip behind her back. Sam wasn't confident enough in her ability to use wind or thunder to consider either of them a serious option. So, she began to conjure a fireball behind her back. The light from their torches would disguise it until she was ready to attack.
The man continued to slowly move towards him. As long as she stayed out of reach of his sword, Samantha had the clear advantage. Obviously, there was no way that they could go with him. That would most likely not end well for them. The man held his sword out towards them, and Sam watched as his eyes drifted towards Shara. There. Without hesitation, the mage moved, throwing her fireball right at his chest.
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on Jan 15, 2017 22:37:40 GMT -6
Poor bastard never saw it coming. The fireball connected with his chest hard, the impact sending him a few steps back before he was left yowling in pain. That ah, was problematic. It wasn't long until some muffled voices echoed out from deeper in the tunnel. Shara didn't yet want to give away that she could hold her own. Last thing she needed was questions from the Ilian mage, who was not all too fond of her at the moment.
The bandit dropped to the ground, his sword clattering against the cold stone beneath him. He rolled and screamed as he attempted to pat the fires out. His screams were irritating, and they drowned out possible footsteps and shouting that could reveal the proximity of his apparent allies. So Shara stepped closer to the fallen bandit, lifted a foot, and stomped down on his head. She didn't dare draw on her stone for any power, simply using the base strength of her human form to bludgeon his head.
The second stomp came with a sickening “crunch”, and blood spattered out from it. Heeled boots provided all the power she needed, it seemed. After the third stomp the man's screaming died down, a bit of blood splattered along her boots. Hm...at least she was dressed mostly in red.
“There...” Shara breathed, her gaze fixed to the back of the tunnel. More torch lights became visible, the orange-yellow light flickered across the walls. She could hear footsteps but...well, Shara was no tracker or hunter. She could not be certain how many more men were coming, but they wouldn't have the element of surprise for these ones.
“I hope you're ready for this, Samantha. I will do what I can, but the bulk of the fighting will be up to you.” This WAS why Shara was paying the woman, so she did not feel any guilt for putting the pressure on her. The alternative was simply not optimal. Shara gripped her torch, aware that it could prove to be a useful weapon in its own right, and waited as the bandits rounded the corner.
There were three. All men, dressed in heavy furs and skins, each one with wild eyes. They looked to be hungry, likely unable to hunt or eat well due to the storms that plagued the area recently. Their eyes shot to their ally. The fire continued to burn away at his chest, the scent of burned flesh and smoke filling the air. Shara may have only knocked him unconscious, but the fire certainly claimed his life.
“Skaarl! Ye killed him! Gah, you bitches!” The men drew their weapons. Two axes and another sword. Each one of them let out a roar as they charged head-first towards the ladies. Shara backpedaled a bit, moving behind Samantha, but she kept her gaze fixed on the enemies.
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Post by Samantha Khione on Jan 17, 2017 0:45:25 GMT -6
Samantha was oddly calm. Sure, it had been slightly disturbing to watch Shara stomp on the fallen bandit's head. It would have been much easier if she had been able to use her fire to put him down, but it was passed now. There were more pressing matters at hand, such as the sound of footsteps hurrying towards them. Shara said she hoped that she was ready for this, and the mage was. There were a number of things that would leave Sam nervous, but a fight was never one of them. She wasn't sure why, but it was just the way it was.
The three men finally appeared around the corner, looking ready to fight. Thankfully, Sam was ready as well. Before the one man yelled about them killing their friend, she had already conjured another fireball. While the heavy furs and skins they wore would protect them from the wind and cold outside, they would also go up quickly. Taking aim, she threw her fireball before they had taken more than one step.
The fireball flew through the air before striking the man in the center dead in the chest. Perfect. He yelled out, but Sam wasn't done. Raising her arm and forcing them out to her sides, she sent the fire out sideways into the other two men. Due to the furs, all three caught fire and began to go up. Not wanting a repeat of the first guy, the mage forced the flames to spread faster than it would have normally and before long all three were completely engulfed in flames. Samantha could feel her energy draining, but she wanted to make sure they were dead before she relinquished. Once the group of them fell to the ground and ceased to move, she was able to pull herself back. Clearly more tired now, she rested lightly against the side of the cave.
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Post by Shara Tiinedra on Jan 17, 2017 2:37:43 GMT -6
Well, that went better than expected.
Shara was not so accustomed to violence that it didn't phase her. She just...had never given it a second thought before. The poor bandit she had stomped out was an act of necessity, lest his colleagues get the jump on them. Shara had simply recognized what needed to be done and acted accordingly. There had been no room for disgust, or grief, or...anything. Nor did she want to stop and truly think about what she had done.
Particularly when faced with three more burning corpses to add to the mix. Samantha seemed to uh...be rather drained from the attack. Not too surprising, giving the effort that had clearly gone into it. Still, Shara wasn't sure whether it was best to wait for her, or to head deeper without her and give her the chance to catch her breath. There were no other noises, no other signs of bandits or brigands or what have you.
“Good work, again. This was...an impressive display.” It did admittedly feel strange to compliment a human on killing other humans. Though of course what she had meant was to compliment the display of MAGIC rather than skill at cooking bandits. Either way Shara stepped past the burning corpses, unbothered by the smoke that rose up from them. She...was used to the smell of burning flesh.
“You look to be tired, and I believe the cave is safe, so I'll move on ahead. If anything they could have more members of their little group outdoors, hunting or gathering, so keep an eye on the cavern entrance.”
That sounded reasonable. Without waiting for a reply Shara proceeded to walk down the cave's tunnel. It was not too long, it seemed that the ladies had already traveled about halfway into it. She kept her torch in front of her and glanced from wall to wall of the cave, weary for the loose possibility of any traps or the like that could have been set by the bandits. Or, worse yet, the mages that had resided in the cave before hand.
She soon fount the section of the cave that the bandits had taken up proper residence in. Some furs to serve as betting, as well as a dying fire that burned in the center. The tunnel led no deeper, so Shara stepped with caution. If the mages had left any trace of their presence...then it would have to be in that area. Narrow eyes scoured the dimly lit cavern room. There was the grim chance that the bandits had destroyed or burned whatever had been left behind by the mages.
To Shara's dismay she could not find anything. No papers, books, or tomes. Desperate she began to inspect the furs the bandits had used for bedding. They reeked of sweat and...worse, admittedly, but she had to endure it. So long as she could find something to make the trip worthwhile...
Wait. She felt something strange beneath one of the fur blankets. She gripped the fur and tossed aside, revealing a book that laid beneath. The cover was ice blue and white, with some interesting symbols and glyphs...wait...Shara flipped through the pages and smirked. A Fimbulvetr tome. Unbelievable. So none of the research papers or notes the mages had no doubt compiled, the things SHARA had wanted, survived.
But at least Samantha would get her tome.
With a sigh Shara stood up, torch and tome in hand, and made her way back through the tunnel to meet with Samantha. As she approached the blue haired mage she held Fimbulvetr out to her. “I believe you hoped for this, yes? It's of no use to me, so you can keep it. Would be a shame for it to remain here, unread...or worse. Further sullied by brigands.”
Shara paused, before she added one last comment. “You may want to...I'm not sure how one would wash a book, but I would look into finding a way.”
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Post by Samantha Khione on Jan 17, 2017 11:52:33 GMT -6
"Thank you..." Samantha was thankful that there weren't more enemies. Sure, she would have been able to gather the strength to fight them, but that would have drained her completely and left her unconscious. Thankfully, it didn't come to that. When Shara announced that she was going to explore the cave more, Sam gave a small nod. Of course she'd rather go with her and explore herself, but she knew that she needed rest. So, the blue haired mage slowly sank to the ground of the cave and began to rest.
Her companion was gone for a little while, surely looking around ever nook and cranny of the cave for signed of the cult they were here for. During this time, Sam felt her strength slowly returning to her. That had been more magic than she had used in a short amount of time in a while. She was actually surprised that she wasn't even more tired. That meant her powers were growing, and that was a good thing.
Eventually, the sound of footsteps heading her way alerted Samantha of Shara's return. It appeared she had some sort of book, but that was it. Hopefully it was something to do with the cult and not just some book those bandits happened to have on them. The girl was surprised when Shara held out the book to her. Slowly getting to her feet, Sam looked over the cover. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. "This is... Fimbulvetr! I... thank you! Thank you so much!" All of her previous anger towards the woman disappeared as she looked over the blue and white cover of the tome. She lightly ran her fingers over it gently. It was real. She had finally found it. Fimbulvetr.
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