Closed [The Bronze Woods] Squires, Kelvics & Bandits, Oh My! (Kyra)

[Kayelin Mannering]

513 AV, 87th Day of Spring Sweat trickled slowly down Kayelin's spine, between her tense shoulder blades and into the waistline of her breeches. Her clothing stuck to her damp skin in all the wrong places, only making her feel hotter. It felt good though, to be pushing her body into exhausted. She needed it after the week she'd been having, settling into her new role of Squire of the Syliran Knights. It was still hard for her to believe that after years of dreaming about it, she was finally on her way to becoming a Knight. The past several days she'd been working diligently, and not surprisingly made zero friends. Maybe she was being antisocial, but it wasn't encouraging when the few times she tried to have a conversation with the girls in her room, she came off as an uneducated simpleton. Kayelin even heard one of the girls whisper to another that it was a little like having a man stay in their room. Her ears turned red at the memory, and she took another swing at the dead white ash tree in front of her. It was her "sparring" partner for the day. Within the few bells she had been practicing, it had acquired a great number of nicks and wedges hacked from its sides. Her longsword cut into the bark once more, getting stuck and painfully jarring her arm. It had been a blind, emotional swing that broke the careful concentration she'd been keeping all morning. Kayelin shook out her tingling wrist, working out the stiffness of her arm behind pulling on the hilt of her embedded blade. It didn't budge, even when she used both hands. She sighed and braced a heavy boot against the smooth bark, using it as leverage when she tried again. Her back strained a moment against the hold the tree had on her sword before it suddenly popped out, sending her backwards onto the ground. She grunted and lost her breath on landing, blinking rapidly against the sunlight shining down through the trees. Her Falivan, who was sleeping in a patch of light nearby, didn't even open an eye. Kayelin lie prone on the leaves a few moments as she caught her breath, mulling over when she should return to the city. The sun had almost climbed to the top of the sky, meaning she'd been there for close to three bells. She wasn't too eager to return to the stares of her fellow suite-mates. So instead, she climbed to her feet and went to retrieve her shield from where it lay with her pack. Kayelin buckled it securely to her left forearm and swung her arm to-and-fro, testing the weight. Then she readjusted the hold on her sword grip and took a ready stance in front of the battered old ash tree. Kayelin bent her legs at the knees, angling one foot behind the other in a position that made it easier to pivot. She held the shield aloft in front of her and close to the torso, sword tipped toward the tree and ready in her other hand. Her palms were sweating profusely underneath her leather gloves, giving her the annoying urge to constantly readjust her fingers. Finally more or less happy with her stance, she thrust forward at the tree with her sword tip, digging into the bark and yanking it back again. Her shield went up to block off an imaginary downward strike, and she jabbed under the tree's "defenses" with a quick stab to the base of its trunk. Back in her ready stance again, Kayelin started to shuffle around the ash, swinging her blade at certain intervals. Hunks of bark became dislodged with each slash, leaving the old withered wood underneath naked. Feeling a little inspired, she swung her blade in a wide slanted arc to a section of exposed trunk. When the blade was inches from its mark the steel caught and reflected a small shaft of sunlight, reflecting right into her eyes. Kayelin grunted and jerked away from the glare, accidentally stumbling and tripping over a gnarled root by her feet. The longsword flew from her fingers, bounced off the tree, and ricocheted to the dirt. She landed in an unceremonious heap, busting her chin on the rim of her shield and biting down on her tongue. Her face burned with tears of pain as blood pooled in her mouth and ran down her chin, staining the leaves and grass pillowing her cheek. She rapidly blinked away the moisture in her eyes, coughing out the mouthful of blood and shakily rising to a sit. Her head spun a moment before settling into a dull headache that radiated from jaw to temple. Kayelin's tongue was already swelling and filling her mouth, feeling like a thick piece of cotton. If cotton could cause intense pain and trickle a steady stream of coppery blood. She spat out the next mouthful and grimaced, climbing unsteadily to her feet. Her Falivan had finally taken notice, at least. The young pup was rising from its napping area to trot over and investigate the smell of blood. She stuck her nose in all the nooks and crannies of Kayelin's that she could reach, whining curiously and slowly wagging her tail. "Mm ohay," she mumbled past her swelling tongue but regretted it instantly when it throbbed sharply, making her wince. Right, no more trying to talk. Instead she patted the dog's head and slowly stooped to retrieve her blade, keeping a hand pressed to the side of her aching jaw. At least the headache was tolerable, but she was going to have a nasty bruise. She slipped the sword back into its scabbard buckled to her hip before dragging her feet across the minuscule clearing to the rest of her gear. Kayelin was for sure not going to stay out here bleeding all over herself just to keep stabbing an old dead tree. As she was about to grab up her pack a sudden shout from behind made her jump and spin, yanking her longsword back from its scabbard. Two other approaching voices laughed from somewhere in the trees, laced by the soft thundering of hooves muffled by the damp ground. Several heartbeats later three men rode into the clearing, reigning in their lathered and foaming horses. They were all dressed rather similarly in a mixture of different shades of leather armor. Swords and clubs were strapped to each of their saddles, and none of the men looked particularly happy, even though they were smiling. Her pup growled low in her throat, pressing close to Kayelin's leg. "Why hello there, sir! Fancy running into someone out here. We were getting a little lonely, weren't we?" The one of the left nodded, but the one on the right frowned and leaned forward in his saddle, giving Kayelin a closer look. "Grant, this bloke ain't a bloke. He's a she." He pointed rather rudely to the sweaty shirt sticking to her not-so-obvious breasts, and she felt her face getting hot. "Oh, would you look at that! She is. Sorry about that, my lady." He emphasized the title, making it clear he thought she was anything but a lady. She instantly hated all three of them. "Sorry to disturb you, but were just out on our daily patrol. You see, we own this part of the woods." The others nodded enthusiastically, knowing what was next. "And we tax anyone we come across. You're trespassing, after all! That's against the law." What a load of horse shit. The man on the left, who was clearly not the brains of the three, laughed raucously. Grant, the rider in the middle, merely smiled. Kayelin stood straighter and feigned relaxation, letting her sword hang at her side. She had to wrestle internally with her fury, but was able to smooth her face into a mask of contrite obedience for at least a moment. "Oh, ish no twubble. I am showwy, I didn't know. How mush ish thish tash?" They stared at her for a long moment, obviously confused by her voice, before they burst into hysterical laughter. Kayelin frowned and felt her face get hot again, instinctively gripping her sword more tightly. The three of them took their sweet time calming down, leaving her standing like a red faced fool to be poked fun at. Finally their laughter died down to a few soft chuckles, and Grant wiped a tear from his eye and sighed, smiling from ear to ear. "I'm glad you spotted this one, Allen. She's a riot!" Allen must have been the idiot on the left, because he suddenly looked very proud of himself. Kayelin spat out her third mouthful of blood and cleared her throat, no longer trying to look sociable. Her face was contorted with embarrassment, anger, and disgust. Grant smiled at her, urging his bay horse forward a few paces. "Come on now, we're only having a spot of fun. Just give us your gear and we'll be on our way." A loud growl rumbled in her dog's throat, grabbing the bandit's attention. His smile grew even bigger, and she wasn't sure how his face hadn't split in half yet. "That dog too, we'll take it as well. After all, you wouldn't want to get the law involved." The others chuckled amongst themselves, watching like a pair of ugly hawks. Kayelin was officially tired of the game. She lifted her sword and motioned at the three of them with its tip. "No, I shink I wiw jush be going. Ish getting awfuwy wate, an I have to get back before dawk." It was like a candle had been blown out. One moment the three riders were all smiles, then the next their faces hardened. "No," Grant said, sounding much more threatening now. "You will give us your things and then be going. You're in our woods. That means what's yours is ours." Kayelin was done playing along. She glared at him with naked anger, and even though he was mounted she didn't have all that far to look up. "I shuggesht yew let me weave. The Knights wiw naw wike it when a Swire goes mishing." For a moment the bandits looked confused, until they managed to deciphered her garbled speech. "Kill her, Grant! She might bring someone after us if we let her off." So the idiot Allen wasn't quiet so stupid after all. Grant glared back at her, clearly not liking the turn of events. "No, you're right. We can't let her go now. Devon, kill her. Allen, take the dog and tie it up. We'll toss her body somewhere out in the woods. The animals will do the rest." Kayelin's heart skipped before it started pounding wildly. Shyke, I should have kept my mouth shut. She probably would have went along with their demands if it hadn't meant giving up the dog. No one was taking that dog. No one. It looked like now it was going to come down to a fight. Three against one and a half were not good odds. At least she'd succeeded in becoming a Squire before she died. She swallowed the fear that had dropped her gut to her toes and put herself in the ready stance she'd practiced earlier. She wasn't going to go down without a bloody brawl. Hopefully Kayeline would at least kill one of them. Devon pulled his blade from the scabbard tied down to his saddle, and the others quickly did the same. If snakes could smile, she imagined this is what they would look like.

[Kyra]

Kyra was out in the Bronze woods once again searching for the witch that she had heard lived within the mystical forest. Her last attempt was a failure and what she found was a lone squire on a horse, instead of a witch. It was odd in a way, whenever she visited the woods, there was always a lone squire somewhere around. It was slightly fascinating to the young kelvic, with a city filled with their kind, why were squires always roaming about by themselves? She would have thought they'd prefer staying together, and humans were sociable if nothing else.

It wasn't summer as of yet, but it was warm enough to dress lighter. She had nothing else planned as of yet for the day, no reason to dress in a particular fashion, and so the kelvic decided upon a slender white gown with criss crossing straps over her shoulders. It wasn't a fancy gown, but it was light and thin, perfect for a day of outdoor spring time activities. It was to be a simple day of searching and enjoying a good walk. Kyra wasn't expecting to find any trouble or even go hunting, but she decided to bring her dagger and bow along just in case.

She walked for a bell or two in the least in search of the phantom witch that she had learned about in the city earlier that season. No one knew what she looked like, or where exactly she lived so for Kyra, it was a chance encounter that could happen anywhere. After all, the last time that she had met a witch in the forest it had been in a cave in the wild lands. So she had everywhere to look and no idea what direction to go in. And so the young kelvic continued on at a brisk pace, her bow lightly clicking against the quiver on her back and her long blonde hair flowing freely down her back.

What she hadn't expected, was the scent of not one, but seemingly five people and even horses. This was the most that she 'd seen in the forest since she had come through there a season ago with the Ravok army. Kyra wasn't sure what to make of it, but her curiosity called her to investigate and find out what was happening. She didn't hurry off however, the smells were thick and fresh, which meant that they were close by and a simple walk would get her there soon enough. A few chimes later, she started to hear voices, and laughter. Whoever it was, they weren't busy with anything other than talking, no fighting, or any type of magical acts being put on display.

Finally, she cleared through the forest and peeked out from behind a tree, where she saw them all for the first time. Men on horseback chatting about with a woman who had a dog with her. Kyra wrinkled her nose up and glared, she hated dogs with a passion, and avoided them whenever she could. Staying silent for the moment, she listened and watched what was going on. It was then that she realized that they were bandits looking to harass the woman and take her coin and the dog. While Kyra wouldn't have had a problem with them taking the mutt, she hated bandits, they were just like the horrid people from Sunberth.

Kyra waited still, trying to decide if she wanted to get involved. The young kelvic was naked, as far as armor went, and the thin gown that she wore offered no protection and could be ripped off easily. If she was going to do this, she realized that she would need a plan, a way to even the odds given there were more than two bandits. An idea came to her quickly, and Kyra pulled her bow free and picked an arrow from her quiver to notch to her bow.

She was pretty far away, and although this wouldn't be the first time that she'd attempted such a long range shot, she knew that she would have to account for the air and distance. Once she was ready, Kyra aimed her loaded bow upon the chest of the man closed to her right. She lifted the bow up much higher then and fired it to where the arrow would soar with and arch and come down towards her target. It was a decent shot, but not perfect and instead of digging into his chest as she had hoped, the arrow slammed into his shoulder.

"Shyke!!"

The brute cried out in pain and grabbed his shoulder as he was suddenly knocked off his horse. The other bandits became aware, and quickly looked around to find the archer. Kyra knew that she wouldn't have much time, and acted quickly. Another arrow was pulled free and then notched into her bow as she did the first. She took aim on the next closest bandit and lifted her bow upward to account for the distance and fired again. This time she missed completely, the bandits having spotted her at the last second and quickly pulled their horses back and out of the way.

"Get her!!"

The lead bandit commanded the other, who spurred his horse into action and raced towards her. One wounded on the ground and another separated..it could have gone better, but it was a start.

[Kayelin Mannering]

Blood roared in her ears and her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Her stomach was in knots, knowing she would likely be killed in a few chimes. She wanted to lick her dry lips, but her tongue throbbed painfully and steadily, radiating heat and slowly oozing blood. A steady stream trickled out of the corner of her mouth, which was twisted into a bare toothed snarl. Her dog bristled at her side, growling with a mixture of emotions that they both shared. Anger and fear were the easiest to identify. Just as Kayelin was readying to lunge at the bandits, gripping her blade tightly and lifting her shield to cover her face from the nose down, an arrow slammed into the shoulder of the attacker furthest to her right. One moment he was readying to charge, and the next he was lying on the ground, thrown over the flanks of his fearful horse by the force of the impact. The sorrel animal reared up, its eyes rolling wildly. The others shied violently, but their riders managed to pull further out of range and force their horses into a submissive stillness. Kayelin spun in place, searching frantically for the hidden archer. Hopefully they were on the same side. She caught a quick glimpse of silvery hair before the pounding of hooves urged her to face the mounted danger once more. The leader was charging into the trees, weapon brandished and ready for attack. He must have spotted the archer too. Her dull headache had turned into a full on migraine, making her head spin and her skull pulse with each hammering heartbeat. The stupid one was clumsily climbing from the saddle to help his downed comrade to his feet, disregarding the order to attack. Kayelin gritted her teeth and ran to intercept, instinctively tensing when her shield slammed into them. One had just helped the other to his feet before her impact sent the three them to the ground in a tangled mess. One of their heads hit her sword arm, making her loss her grip and toss the blade. She heard it drop into the leaves somewhere to the left, and she cursed violently. A leg slammed into her ribs, making her wince and buck against the weight of the squirming bandits. They were all trying to regain their footing, stepping on each other in the process. One of them made it to their feet, more likely the one without the arrow sticking out of his body, but she couldn't tell. She felt his hands close around the collar of her shirt as he heaved her roughly to her feet. Kayelin barely had time to get her feet under her before his meaty first slammed into her aching jaw. She grunted loudly, reeling from the lights that flashed behind her eyelids. She stumbled backwards, nearly falling over again. When she looked up, he was almost on top of her, brandishing the club that had been hanging at his belt. Kayelin instinctively raised her shield to deflect the blow, but it jarred her from her fingers to her shoulder. It glanced off the tip of the shield, scraping across the wood with a hollow thud. He raised the club high again, but this time she threw herself forward, grabbing his wrist and trying to wrestle it down. They cursed back and forth, scrabbling wildly for a hold against each other. She was taller than he was by nearly a head, but he was thicker around and broader in the shoulder. Their strength and weight seemed to be more or less evenly matched, because neither one or the other could get the upper hand. Suddenly he screamed and jerked away, wildly swinging his club. She threw herself out of the way, landing in the leaves in a bone jarring heap. Kayelin looked back and saw her dog latched onto his shin, growling with tearing at his leg for all she was worth. He smacked her with the blunt club and kicked her in the ribs until she let go and retreated with a high pitched keen, tail between her legs and a hitch in her walk. Kayelin gnashed her teeth and climbed to her feet, running at him with all the force she could muster. She tackled him to the ground, sending his club flying and the both of them back to the ground. He thrashed violently, bucking his hips and swinging his fists. But she had managed to pin him down with all her weight, sitting on his chest like a sack of bricks. Kayelin beat him mercilessly in the face with fist and shield, feeling his nose break after a few blows. He screamed and cursed and gargled on the blood that filled his mouth. For a moment he managed to grab her ear and yank it, and she was sure it would come off. But she dug her fingers into his eye sockets until he screamed and let go, so she could continue hammering his bloodied face. By the time he stopped moving, her knuckles were swollen and she was sure she'd broken her right ring finger. She panted and heaved herself to her feet, shaking with rage and adrenaline. He was a lot worse off. His nose had been flattened to the side, looking like a lump of limp flesh. Blood smeared his swelling face and she could tell a tooth had fallen out because his mouth was gaping open like a fish, showing off the hole in the front of his not-so-pearly whites. But he was still alive. His chest rose and fell in shallow flutters, and a wet sucking sound indicated he was for sure breathing. Kayelin's eye had swollen shut where he'd got a few hits in, and her lips were split and smeared with blood. She turned slowly, but stumbled sideways when that small movement made her head spin. She was in no shape now to fight or really even walk, but she had to look for her sword and check on the dog. Then there were the other two bandits to deal with. Kayelin pressed a hand to the side of her throbbing head, gingerly working her jaw to see if it had broken. It was badly bruised and swollen, but seemed to be all right. Better than being dead, at least.

[Kyra]

With the horsemen racing towards her, his blade free and at his side as he urged the horse to quicken it's pace to get him to his target faster. Kyra pinched another arrow from her quiver and notched it to her bow. She aimed it at the horsemen first and lifted a bit higher to account for the distance the arrow would need to travel and fired it. The soared, spinning through the air just missing his shoulder. It was a chance she had to take, and hitting a moving target was harder than it looked.

Kyra slipped back into the forest and hid herself upon the brush, she figured it was better to lure the man in rather than wasting more of her arrows trying to hit him on horseback. She moved back deeper into the forest to where he would need to get off his horse to be able to move effectively. The young kelvic notced another arrow to her bow and raised it slightly about shoulder length and waited for his foot steps. It wasn't long before she would hear them, and his stench became closer.

The moment that the man appeared from the clearing, after having gotten off his horse, Kyra fired her arrow at him. The man's eyes widen in horror as he saw this and quickly ducked to the side to avoid the arrow. Luckily he was able to move enough to save himself from a fatal shot, but the arrow still struck his shoulder. He gnashed his teeth and cursed, his hand quickly grabbing the arrow and breaking off the shaft. By the time he looked up, the girl was gone.

Kyra had slipped away and hid behind the tree. She wanted to finish this quickly, but his weapon was much longer than the one that she had. She had an idea though, a way to disarm the man and sway the fight in her favor. Suddenly, the kelvic dashed to the other side of the tree, where she jumped up and grabbed the upper branch to swing her body towards him. The man spun around just in time to catch both of the girl's booth into his chest. He coughed and stumbled back, but even in this, he didn't drop his weapon.

It was time to step it up, and the girl pulled her dagger from her belt and charged in, she spun off to the left and swung out, raking at his side with her weapon. The man blocked with his longer blade and turned his body to swing a viscous swipe at her. Kyra slashed back at him, their blades clanking together as she was knocked back a bit from the combined force. Kyra dashed off into the forest again, forcing the man to chase after her. The kelvic raced in and out of the trees in an attempt to confuse the bandit.

Suddenly, she appeared from behind a tree and slashed at him hard, which knocked him back and he could only swing his blade awkwardly to block. But the nimble kelvic wasn't done just yet. She followed the attack up with another slash across his chest, and allowed her body to follow through, her leg jerking up as she spun around and kicked him in the face. The man stumbled back again, his arms waving to keep himself up. He looked up in horror then, to see the girl's boot just before it slammed into his throat. He hacked and choked, trying to catch his breath and stepped back a few paces.

That seemed to be the last straw, and the man raged out, charging the girl and wildly swinging his weapon. Kyra stumbled back, attempting to block and duck the in coming swings as much as she could. It was a hard battle, and she found herself being pushed back further and further with no way to counter.

[Kayelin Mannering]

Her head throbbed with each heavy step. It seemed like an eternity before she found her sword half hidden in the mulched leaves nearby. She gingerly picked it up and took equal care in turning to survey the clearing. Her pup was cowering with the rest of her gear, keening softly in fear. A good enough place to let the animal stay. The other bandit, the one with the arrow in his shoulder, sat to her left. He held his injury tightly, hunched over his own lap and retching from the pain. It seemed that their scuffle on the ground had pushed the arrow deeper and snapped the shaft. Blood stained the leather pad protecting his chest, and soaked his linen sleeve to where it stuck to his skin. She considered decapitating him right here, but the sound of metal screeching on metal made her look up sharply. Kayelin's head pulsed from the sudden movement, making her wince. She saw the flash of bodies in the trees ahead as the lead bandit and the stranger hashed it out. She seemed to have the upper hand for a moment. A broken arrow stuck out of him as well, and he was bloodied. But berserk rage wasn't to be underestimated. As she watched, he started to turn the tables, beating his opponent back with quick and vicious blows. Can't let that happen. Gritting her teeth, Kayelin stumbled into a jog. She saw pinpoints of painful light when she tried to blink the migraine away. She'd just have to deal with it. A deaf man could probably hear her coming for how heavy her boots crashed against the undergrowth. And the bandit did hear her. He turned and sneered as she broke from the clearing and into the trees. "I'll take you both on," he snarled, spitting in Kayelin's direction. The disrespectful glob barely missed her. "See if the two of you can win. I'll cut 'yer eyes out and feed them to the buzzards!" Quickly he spun and slashed again at Kaie, and Kayelin took her chance to charge. She swung her blade in a high, clumsy arc, aiming for his exposed shoulder. He parried rather easily, and the impact jarred her shoulder, reverberating inside her pulsing skull. He smiled the kind of smile that never reached ones eyes, and for a moment she felt a chill of fear. Two against one were good odds, but Kayelin wasn't going to be that useful right now. Hopefully she'd at least pose a good distraction. Hundreds of different possibilities flashed through her mind as he swung again and she beat his blade back with a frantic blow. Sudden inspiration hit her mid-blow. She'd take a card from his book. Just as he pulled away to ready another swing, Kayelin worked up a good mouthful of bloody saliva and spit it right in his face. He flinched back and gasped in surprised disgust. "What the fuck!" All of it seemed to happen in slow motion to her, when it was really in the fast pace of defensive battle. He raised his hand to wipe away the mess running down his face, exposing his ribs. "Now!" she yelled, wincing when her voice made her head spin. She put a hand to the side of her skull if that would hold the pieces together.

[Kyra]

The fight was getting more intense, and the bandit raged on, doing all he could to take down the kelvic. But there was something to be said about wild and blind rage and having a bit of patience would win out in the end. Kyra waited for the right moment, and ducked one of his wild but powerful blows, and slipped around towards his back. With a quick turn of her arm, Kyra slashed out towards his ribs with her dagger and dug into the thin material under his arm. He snarled in pain, quickly turning and swinging his blade towards her again.

Kyra ducked, turning her legs in as she spun around, her arm extending outward again as she ripped another slash across his stomach. This caused him to double back in order to recover, and also gave her the stance to back up as well. Kyra stared at him hard with unblinking eyes, she had tired him out and his moves were now slower and more sloppy. Suddenly she heard the clanking of armor and glanced towards the brushes to her right. She didn't know if it was another bandit or if the woman had survived. But it seems that the woman was the stronger one and had defeated the bandits.

Now it was two on one and the bandit was not pleased at all to see this. He cursed and threatened them both. Anything to vent out his rage. Kyra was about to strike, seeing an open spot where she could get in close and sweep her dagger across his neck, but he attacked her first, causing the kelvic swing her upper body back and over to where she could reach out and plant her hands on the ground, before swinging her legs over her head. She flipped over and dug her boots into the ground and saw that the bandit was now facing the other woman.

Kyra retrieved her bow and pulled another arrow from her quiver to notch to her bow. She was already standing a good pace away and making the shoot would be easier. But for the moment, she had to wait until the two weren't moving. It would be tragic if she fired upon the wrong person, not to mention a waist of a good arrow. But it seemed she would have to wait long as the woman spat in the man's face which caused him to lowered his guard for a moment. That was all she needed, Kyra widen her stance, lifted her bow and drew back the arrow and fired. The arrow slipped through the air quickly and pierced his neck from side to side.

The bandit's eyes widen, he gagged and stumbled forward a bit while reaching for Kayelin. Again, Kyra pulled an arrow free of her quiver and notched it to her bow. This time she aimed her arrow a bit higher, and after pulling it back tightly into the string, she fired. A tick later the arrow slammed into his temple and broke the flesh as it appeared out the other side of his head. His body dropped motionless onto the ground and the young kelvic secured her weapons upon her person, before slowly walking towards the dead body. She knelled beside him, leaving Kayelin alone with her thoughts while she went through his belongings looking for anything of value.

[Kayelin Mannering]

It was always a little morbidly fascinating how quickly someone could die. In what seemed to be barely more than a blink, another arrow had pierced the bandit's neck. Blood pooled up and into his mouth, spilling over and down his chin, staining his leather chest piece. Kayelin watched him reach toward her, rooted to the spot as she stared at the bloody arrowhead poking out of the side of his throat. Blood shined on the broadhead in the summer sunlight, dripping onto his shoulder and the ground. The final arrow came soon after that, smacking into the side of his head with such impact that he dropped to the side like a discarded stone, dead before he hit the ground. Stop staring, she ordered herself, managing to pull her blue eyes away from the lifeless fingers that had almost brushed her face a moment ago. The stranger, who she now owed her life, was quietly going through the belongings of her conquest. Her eyes were downcast, busy searching for anything of value, but Kayelin could examine the rest of her. She was very small, and very pale. Her hair was definitely silver, which was new. Had she ever met someone with such a hair color? Close, but not quite. She considered going to search the other dead bandit's body, but decided against it. This girl could have anything on their persons. She deserved it, for saving Kayelin's life. At least in her eyes she did. Maybe there would be enough to make them even, though it was unlikely. It was a life for a life, not a life for some scrap weapons and bloody leather armor. And Gods knew what else the two bodies were carrying. The third bandit, she could still hear him now, groaning in pain in the silence of the clearing. He wasn't going anywhere yet. She would take him back to the city and turn him in to the Knights. Give them the whole story, run through the steps of arrest. It was a mundane and boring process that had been explained to her a few days ago. Kayelin rubbed her head and squinted, trying to keep the bright glare to a minimum. "I'm gunna tie the uffer wun up." Her slurred voice sounded far too loud in the heavy silence. The only other noises were the still living bandit's painful protests, and the sound of pilfering the dead. What else was she supposed to say? At the moment, any words of gratitude were lost, both because of the pain in her tongue and a lack of social skills. Akwardly at first, she backed away, then turned and walked to her gear. She was developing a heavy limp as the pain in her body became more obvious. Gingerly, she crouched next to her backpack. Her Falivan watched with large, sad eyes, and she gently massaged the pup's ear. "Ish okay, I'll get you back to the shity shoon." From her pack she pulled a length of coiled rope. With this, she tied the last bandit's hands behind his back. He barely had the energy to try and jerk away, but he did try, and it sent him into a fresh string of protests when it strained his injury. She wasn't merciful with the knots, making sure they were tight and that his arms weren't going anywhere. He was obviously in a lot of pain after that. Tears streaked his dirty cheeks, and his face was screwed up in a horrible grimace. Maybe it was from fear as well. He deserved it. Slowly and carefully she got back to her feet, stumbling a little for balance before her head stopped spinning, then picking her way back to where she'd left the girl, who by then seemed to be done looking at the dead man's belongings. "Shank you," she tried, but it was hardly a good enough display of gratitude. "I would huff been dead sefferal chimes ago if it wennut fuh you." She paused awkwardly, not sure how to continue. How did one thank the person who saved their life? And the life of their dog.

[Kyra]

There was a misconception when it came to bandits, and the flawed idea was that generally bandits had coin. People would imagine a group of people stealing and looting daily, and so they would surely have coin to show for it. This wasn't true, bandits rarely had coin, which was why they went around trying to steal it. Syliras was the worse place for such actions, as the Knights patrolled a good distance outside the city as well as inside.

It was the same case with the bandits in the forest, Kyra found very little coin on the bodies of the men and while she could sell the weapons, she didn't feel like trying to carry them all. So the young kelvic took what coin she could get and stood up and walked away from the mess that she had left. Kyra could hear the woman stumping around and slurring her words as she went. There was something about the woman's speech, she sounded as if someone had hold of her tongue.

Kyra stood up and dusted her clothing off and pocketed what little coin she could find. Luckily for the kelvic, a good battle, while dangerous was fun to her and she found joy in it. Kyra started to make her way back through the forest when she came face to face with the woman that had just fought beside her. The woman appeared a bit more battered than she did, but she was alive and strong enough to move about on her own. The kelvic herself was bruised, and she was sure that those bruises would be clear against her pale skin within ticks.

The woman before her was a lot taller, and bigger than she was. In truth, Kyra had met men before that were smaller. She glanced up curiously at the woman, remembering the last time that she had met a woman so large, she actually had four arms. The woman had also been insane, but this one only had two arms and she seemed nice so far. "It's alright." Kyra said while staring at the woman. Whenever she was really interested in something it was hard for her not to stare at it for periods of time without blinking.

"You did just say thank you, did you not?" Kyra said offering a weak smile. "I was surprised to see bandits so close to the city. They must not be from these parts...or just really desperate. So..what do you plan to do with him?" She had an idea of what the woman had planned, a squire would likely take the man back to the city and lock him up for judgement. However, she could only imagine that the punishment for his crimes would be death, so she wondered why the woman didn't just kill him.

[Kayelin Mannering]

Kayelin was used to getting stared at, so it didn't really bother her. The two of them had just fought bandits together. The least she could do was allow some oogling. This girl was so small, after all. She wondered what it was like, being short. No hitting one's head on doorways, ceilings, tree limbs, the list went on. It was probably easier to find shoes that fit too, without having to have some custom made from your personal measurements. That was always a little embarrassing. Discreetly, she glanced down at the girl's feet. Small and feminine. Kayelin's were big and bulky, looking heavy and strong in her sturdy leather boots. She sighed, then tried for a smile. But she balked suddenly when she got her first good look at the girl's eyes. Not human at all. Kayelin swallowed, feeling her smile strain. She just hadn't been expect it, and now it was her turn to stare. It took her a moment before she realized she'd been spoken too, and she shook herself, frowning guiltily. It was probably more rude to stare at a strange pair of eyes than it was to at someone's freakish height. Kayelin pushed her sweaty hair off her forehead, trying to comb it to the side. It flopped back over her sticky skin, only adding to her discomfort. Her body was sweltering, like her insides were cooking in the heat. Her gloves felt like they were filled with perspiration. "Uh, yesh, I wush a wittle suhprished too. Maybe they were jush shtupid. But ewrywun hash to reshtock shumetimesh, they coo haff been in shearsh of suppwies. Maybe they haff some suppwiersh in the awea." There were too many possibilities, and Kayelin wasn't the sort to investigate that deeply. It would only hurt her throbbing head that much more. She wasn't a heavyweight in the brains department, but at least she didn't pretend otherwise. Mostly, she grabbed a sword and started whacking things. Her patron, Aquila, was trying to shape her into a more well rounded warrior. One who thinks before and after the attack. It was turning out to be a tough task. "Showwy for my voish. I bish my tong." She smiled apologetically, trying to scratch her hair away from her face again. "I am goin' to tay him to the Knish," she added then frowned and tried again, adding slow emphasis to the garbled word. "The Knights." Better. "They wiw deaw wif him. Ish not my pwace to eshact puwishment." Gods, her speech was horrible right now. Her face was pink with the effort of speaking, and her tongue was swelled to a very abnormal size, radiating steady heat and pain. Absently, she turned and spat out another mouthful of blood, thought it was more her just leaning over, opening her mouth, and letting it drip onto the ground. She looked back at the girl, thoroughly embarrassed. "I'm reawy, sowwy, thish is dishgushting." Kayelin gingerly wiped her bloody lips on the back of her glove. "Do yew need an eshcort?" she offered. She knew she wasn't much to look at it right now, but it was the least she could offer. "Yew shood come wif me tew a doctor." She really had to emphasis that last word, so it didn't come out sounding like something like dawctaw. "I wewd feew behtuh if yew did. I dew nawt want tew weave yew out here." Kayelin glanced back at the bandit sitting in the leaves. "I need tew geht him." She turned and limped back to where he was waiting, and grabbed him by the arms. "Geh uh," she ordered, trying to sound harsh, but it only hurt her head. There was going to be no more intimidation coming from her end for a while. But she did manage to get his feet under him and wrestle him upright. She was roughed up bad, but someone her size could still manhandle when they really tried. She grabbed the rope that trailed from the knots binding his hands, effectively making a sort of leash. She bent down to check her handiwork, and was pretty confident it would hold. Very simple knots, but effective in his position. "Moof," she rumbled, standing straight again. And boy, did he move. Just as her face passed behind his head, it snapped back, cracking her square in the forehead. The pain was blinding in her state, and she lurched away, releasing his rope and stumbling backward. She only manage to twist around as the lights went out, and she crashed to the leaves on her stomach, knocked out cold, with her shield arm pinned under neither her. OOCI realized too late that you mentioned her in armor. She not actually in any armor, just her clothes!

[Kyra]

Kyra stared at the woman longer, it appeared that she had gone into a trance. It wasn't all that surprising though. Bandits and other cruel beings could cause people to act in all sorts of ways. The fear of the events could be deadly to those who weren't prepared from them. Kyra stared back at the woman's as she stared at her. Whenever she locked gazes with a person, she simply couldn't turn away. The kelvic had to see, she had to know what came next and always stared at the person until they finally turned away.

She didn't mind the staring however, in fact she was used to it as well. Her hair, eyes, clothing, manner of speech, everything about her seemed to draw attention from others for better or worse. There was also the familiarity to consider, while dealing with people that she knew, it was curiosity, but in this case....caution. She had to be careful with strangers, the last woman that she met in the forest seemed to know that she was a kelvic. This disturbed Kyra, after she had been spending so much time trying to hide the fact.

In Ravok, only the lucky kelvics were treated nicely and the rest were nothing but pets. Kyra didn't want to be caught again and forced to work for someone that she hated. It was for this reason that she tried to keep it a secret. From what she had heard, Syliras was for free men, but she was not a man..or even a human. The woman suddenly started to speak and Kyra held onto every word. It was a different way of speaking, and for a moment she thought of mimicking the woman, but changed her mind.

"I suppose it doesn't matter really. They were bandits, it's what they do."

Kyra's eyes widen a bit after the woman explained that she had bitten her tongue. The kelvic had done so her self more than once, but never hard enough to cause her speech to slur. "I see....you must have bitten it really hard." Kyra could smell the blood, but she couldn't be sure if it was from her lip or another injury. "Are you injured at all?" It seemed like the right then to do, and since she had gotten a bit of training from the doctor-turned squire, Kyra figured that she could help.

She nodded as the woman spoke, having no objections to her taking the man to the Knights. She would guess that was what they would want her to do anyway. Kyra was about to saying something else when the woman turned and started to spit blood all over the ground. The kelvic tilted her head a bit and watched curiously. She had to wonder if the woman had a tongue left. Kyra didn't think she needed an escort, or a doctor, but she decided to go anyway, less the bandit get out of hand.

"Alright, I'll come back with you..."

The kelvic waited for the woman to get her new prisoner up and moving, but just as they were about to move out, the man headbutted the squire and Knocked her out. Kyra jumped back out of surprise and the man raced passed her while trying to break his hands free of the bindings. Instead of chasing after him, she pulled her bow from over her shoulder and took an arrow out as well, which she notched to her bow. Kyra raised the bow and aimed the arrow on the man's back and fired. The arrow slipped through the air and slammed into his back with a thud.

Kyra smiled weakly and lowered her bow as she made her way towards him. The bandit stumbled a few feet before he finally fell flat on his face. She turned back to the woman then and knelled beside her. The squire was breathing which was a good thing, although she was laying face down. The kelvic pushed her over somewhat carefully and pushed her weapons aside. She was lost from this point, unsure of what else she could do besides giving the woman water. And so she was off, after dragging the woman away from the bodies and behind a tree, Kyra set off to find water.