The Enemy of my Enemy (Ito/PM for Entry)

[Bee]

"Whoo that was tough", shouted Bee as the assassin vanished. The maiden was exhausted. The fight had taken much more out of her than she had realized. With things calming down Bee moved to tend to her wounds. The maiden pulled out a bottle of elixir from her bag and applied a bit of the light blue jell onto her wounds and her cauterized wounds. The elixir did it's work, stopping the bleeding and turning the burned flesh back into it's normal soft pink version. It was still incredibly sore however. The maiden would have applied more to some of her smaller scratches, but she knew the others probably needed it more. So instead she moved down the hill of snow and aimed to link up with her two unknown comrades.

"Hey do you all need some", shouted Bee as she moved closer towards the duo. As Bee moved closer she realized that she did not know anything about these guys, nor did they know anything about her. Bee would need to fix that. How were they going to tell of her greatness if they did not know about her. How was she going to tell this story if she did not know about them. Two major problems that needed to be fixed immediately.

"Hey I have some elixir if you all need some. Oh, and by the way my name is Bee." As the maiden spoke she waved her hand and called upon the power of her fire tome. Three big flame letters formed in the air. The letters spelled out the chaotic pink girl's name. "Bee spelled B E E, just like the animal, but without the stinging. So old lady? Why was the man in shadows trying to introduce your throat to the business end of his broad sword?"

[Ito]

Ito's face stayed calm as Calico threatened his death. It wasn't the first time someone had told him that, and Ito was sure it wouldn't be the last. Just another person to watch for over his shoulder. The spotted Nabatan leaped back, retreating, with a final strike against the ragtag pair of warriors. The assassin's dagger spun forcefully, and Ito reflexively put out his free hand to try catching the thrown tool. He misjudged the dagger's speed and the edge of the blade caught on his palm and tore a disc of skin free from its place on Ito's hand, a bit of cloth the same size hanging by a thread on his glove.

Its course unaltered, the dagger's tip plunged into Ito's torso just beneath his cuirass. The blade had lost some of its stopping power as it came into contact with Ito's hand, as well as when it drove through his tunic and undershirt. The tip still managed to bury itself deep enough to impale Ito's stomach, cleanly traveling about half of an inch into Ito's abdominal muscles. Another scar with another story, he thought.

Ito's right hand moved to the dagger's handle, holding tightly despite the bit of skin missing from the palm. He sank to his knees as he slowly, gently removed the dagger and used his left hand to apply pressure to the point of impact, dropping his own sword into the snow as he carried out his motions. Pain began to show in his eyes as he began to examine the wound with a collected expression. He looked up at the 'greatest fire mage in existence' as she came over to he and the old lady.

The blood seeping from his hand dripped into the snow, and his tunic would be soaked through in a few minutes.

"I'll have whatever elixir you don't use on the pegasus and the old lady."

[Luba Gavrilova]

”Not sure. Never met the Nabatan before tonight.” Luba grunted, stomping a few paces over to Bee and roughly grabbing the offered elixir. ”Just some cut-throat looking for an easy score. Figured an old woman couldn't defend herself.” The old rider tied the potion off at her hip and stomped back over to Diana. Undoing the clasps of her cape, Luba brought the cloth around, and wrapped her fingers around Diana's lower jaw. The steed understood her master's actions and opened her mouth. Luba proceeded to ball up the cloth and stuff it inside Diana's maw. ”Bite down girl.” She ordered plainly, before tightly grabbing Calico's dagger. With a swift, hard jerk, Luba pulled the dagger from Diana's neck, eliciting a muffled shriek. The rider acted fast, undoing the novice knot on the elixir potion, and pressing the glass neck against Diana's open wound. The jelly-like subtance poured and congealed across the carmine gape in Diana's fur, quickly sealing the wound shut. The pegasus' muffled cries died out, replaced with an equally muted panting. ”There, there.” Luba ran her glove-bound palm the length of Diana's mane, before removing her spittle-ridden cape from the creature's mouth. She turned to face the blonde swordsman.

”Kind of you to give my mount priority when you're kneeling in a pool of your own blood.” Luba grunted, stomping her way over to her unnamed ally. With a toss, the rider slung the cape over her shoulder, then kneeled before the blonde. "How 'bout you, swordsman? You have a name, too?" She reached forward, offering the, as of yet unnamed, ally the elixir. "Here. Applying an elixir isn't as painful as removing a dagger, but if you want something to bite on you can use this." She gave the violet cloak a pair of solid taps. "Just be sure to mind the slobber."

[Bee]

These people are weirdos, thought Bee to herself as she watched them. Why where they treating the horse before they treated the man. That made no sense to her. Who cares about animals! Well a lot of people did if she had to be honest, but in this situation who cares! This was a man dying. Why in the world where you going to give the elixir to the horse first. Bump the horse. If it died you can just buy a new one. Shoot once it got seriously injured you were going to kill it anyway and turn it into glue. So why where the two of them valuing the beast so highly. Bee kind of understood the rider. It was her horse after all. People were naturally selfish and she was sure she had some special connection to it. However why was the swordsmen allowing the horse to go first. It was a dumb animal!

Keeping herself calm and keeping her inner thoughts off her face Bee opened her mouth to speak once more. "So the guy just showed up out of now where in the woods and tried to murder you. Kind of strange for a man of his talent to be a random cutthroat though. The way he fought, moved, and talked suggested that he was more than your simple pillager. Hmm", scowled Bee as she began to think on the subject. "Hey old lady, what is your name? Are you some kind of fancy noble women or something, or are you simply a famous person. Do you have a estate that somebody wants, or do you know somebody's dark secrete. Clearly there is something going on behind the scenes here. That guy was after you and you specifically. I don't know who you ticked off but they have it out for you."

[Ito]

Ito looked up at the old lady, replying to her thanks. "It's no problem, I've been hit by worse and had to wait longer. This was just a little cut; maybe an inch or two. Besides, it's not a pool quite yet." Ito gratefully took the bottle of elixir when it was offered, applying it first to his hand. As the wound sealed shut, he flexed his hand. It was always hard to believe that his wounds could be healed in an instant.

After his fascination with the magic substance's effect was over, Ito pulled up his tunic and applied the elixir to the wound on his stomach, the medicinal jelly seeping through his black shirt before sealing the abdominal injury. He pulled down his tunic and readjusted his cuirass, dropping Calico's dagger tip-first into the snow.

Standing, Ito spoke once more with a very calm expression on his face. "I'm Ito. It does seem a little odd, that a Nabatan assassin would be in Ilia. Could be working for the Etrurians, though that would make you an important member of the rumoured Resistance." Turning to the mage, Ito spoke again. "Where're you from, anyways? You seemed to take out that lancer easily enough. Was he just a decoy for us to trust you, or are you simply a passerby like me?"

You shouldn't show such distrust, Ito. Ito's own voice rang in his mind, thoughts racing back and forth, from conclusion to conclusion and outcome to outcome. Maybe the whole world isn't against me. I shouldn't force myself against it, my strength is inadequate. I need to know more about them, though... Are there different things I could've said? Is there a friendlier approach I could've taken?

[Luba Gavrilova]

”Talk a lot, don't you?” Luba grunted, dismissing Bee's volley of rhetoric. Although given the rate at which the mage spoke, rhetoric might have been a misnomer. Her manner of speaking was more of word salad than persuasive speech. She certainly liked questions though, not to mention assumptions.

”Suit yourself.” Luba muttered, bringing her cape around as Ito applied the blue potion. With a satisfying click, the old rider felt the clasp lock in place. ”Heh” Luba chuckled cynically. 'Rumored' being the operative word. As far as Luba knew, there was no real power in Ilia ready to defy the Etrurian invasion. Whatever resistance had formed against the Prophet's army wouldn't stand much of a chance on its own, without the Ilian regulars. As far as Luba knew, the country was still consolidating its army after the humiliating loss of Bern. It'd be weeks, months maybe, before Ilia had an honest chance at defending herself. By that time, the Etrurians would have had ample opportunity to take Arphen, take more than half of Ilia's territory.

The old rider knelt down, examining the dagger Ito had dropped. Silver. Good make. Might even fetch a decent price from a quartermaster. Might fetch a better price if sold alongside its sibling blade. Luba pocketed the first dagger. ”Like I said. Never seen that cut-throat before tonight.” The old rider stomped back over to Diana, spying the reflective moonlit silver of Calico's second dagger. ”I'm no one special. Not a noble or a general in some 'fabled' resistance.” A mocking cynicism crept its way into the woman's voice as she mentioned the resistance. ”I used to be a soldier, but now I'm not.” She knelt down, gripping the dagger by its handle. ”And I just so happened to have an unlucky night.” Luba pocketed the dagger. ”Not as unlucky as some, though.” She muttered, glancing at Berek's broken body.

Ito earned a smirk from Luba as he proceeded to give Bee the third degree. Luba sincerely doubted that the mage was anything more than a passerby. Calico had been out for blood, been looking to wet his blades. He had no motive to plant a mole. That said, in her experience, it paid to be a little suspicious.

"Now's not the time to be asking questions. There might be more cut-throats lurking in these woods. We should find someplace safe, a nearby town, before we start giving one another the third degree. Come." She ordered curtly, mounting Diana. "There's a village not far off. We'll have time to talk once there."

[Bee]

Bee looked at the old women and the young man. It was clear to her that the tow of them were probably going to go to that nearby village. To be honest Bee would rather sleep outside. She already had made a decision to not go yo the town earlier and continuing that choice would have been her preferred decision. However after seeing the knives the two of them had just pulled out of themselves Bee was quickly reminded that there was still a assassin on the lose. A assassin she helped fight and did not get a knife in the throat from. The dirt bag was probably still hanging around. Considering his wound and her display of healing tonics she was sure she was a mark.

"Alright lets get out oh here before sir stabs a lot returns. I for one like not bleeding to death." With that Bee began to call upon her magic again. She was still drained from the battle before, but the spell she was using did not take much energy. Not to mention that it was still cold. Bee hated the chill. She was not going to sit here and freeze to death when she had good fire magic at her beck and call. Calling upon the spirits of fire Bee summoned up three balls of flaming energy. They were small, but they did what she needed them to do. The small balls of flame rotated around Bee as she made her way toward the town. They not only kept her warm, but they lit up the way so that everyone could get to town safely. As for warmth they were on there own. Either they stayed close to Bee or preyed that there choice in clothing did the job for them. Bee could not spare the magic to make everyone a fire spin.

[Ito]

"I'm sorry, I don't have time to go chat. I need to be on my way, before I get behind on my schedule." In truth, Ito just didn't want to go and hang out with an old lady he didn't know, and he was very suspicious of the mage, Bee. If she were from Etruria, he'd make it his goal to end her, but he wasn't going to be around long enough to make that happen. She was very clearly experienced, and Ito didn't think he could take her out after she'd regained some of her magical energy.

The mage did bring up a good point, suggesting they leave before the assassin returned. "I don't think the assassin will return for a while. A slit that deep in the wrist will take a while to fix, and if it doesn't get fixed he'll be dead."

Getting up on his feet again, Ito sheathed his sword and glanced back and forth between the other two people in the clearing. It was definitely surprising how well the impromptu trio worked together in fighting off those cut throats. Maybe the group could...

No, I can't attach myself to anyone. Not for the foreseeable future, anyhow.

Ito's gaze drifted around the clearing, various puddles of red littering the snow, along with a couple of dead bodies; remnants of the battle earlier.

Death still follows me too closely.

Turning to the rider, Luba, Ito spoke once more. "I would gladly accept your invitation to the village, but I have business to attend to elsewhere." Ito looked to Bee and nodded a silent goodbye, then began the long march into the woods, toward wherever fate may take him.

[EXIT THREAD]