PM to join Arrows in the Mist [Xylona]

[Krisa]

15th day of Summer 513av

It hadn’t been a good day. Krisa’s anxiety had been acting up making her feel trapped weather she was at home in her apartment of weather she was walking through the shining streets of Lhavit. Her throat felt like it was closing up, suffocating her and her hands shook violently. This hadn’t really been triggered by anything in particular; every now and then it would just happen. She felt she needed to get out. Out of the city and into the mist. Though her mind was screaming torment at her, she was able to at least have a clear enough thought to take her bow and arrows with her for protection, as well as her dagger. She knew how to shoot an arrow at a basic level, but she didn’t know how to hunt, or where on an animal you were supposed to aim so as to not spoil the meat. No, that wasn’t her motive for traversing the cliffs today. It was simply the fact that she couldn’t bare to have a breakdown like that in public, nor could she bear to remain inside and feel claustrophobic.

It wasn’t the smartest idea in the world really. It was too late in the day to go as far as she did. Clambering over rocky surfaces, and traversing steep inclines, with a determined look in her eyes. This was good. She had to focus so completely on keeping her footing on these rocks that she simply did not have any time to focus on anything else. She could still see the city behind her, floating above the mist as if it sat on naught but clouds. Eventually her stamina ran out and she was forced to take a break. She could hear heavy running water ahead, and she knew it was a waterfall. This meant she could probably find her way back to one of the path of waterfalls and travel home safely. Everything was greener here. She had made her way slowly down the mountainside to find herself looking over a grand forest. Did everything around here have to be so happy? So upbeat? So beautiful? It was tiring to feel so inferior all the time. Krisa knew it was all in her own head and that made it all the more embarrassing.

Taking a swig from her water skin she stood once more, dusted herself off and moved towards the nearest tree. Taking a dagger out of its holder she carved a target into a tree, with a bulls eye and three rungs traveling outwards. Krisa sighed as she did this, knowing it was something she hadn’t done in far to long. She was letting Lem’s memory slip, and that was no good.

The guilt was harsh and Krisa grew flustered again. She stepped back a couple of meters and mastered all her focus into this one activity. She stood side on to the target, breathing in and out slowly. With her eye staring at the bulls eye she lifted the bow till it sat against her cheek the bow and notched an arrow. Feeling the strength of the cord as it was pulled backwards build to a point, she let the arrow fly. It flew through the air staying true until the very last minute, when it hit the outside rung of her bulls eye. Krisa cursed her failure, and notched another arrow. She rushed the shot, frustration taking hold of her and ruining her focus. The arrow flew straight past the tree and into the bush land beyond. “Shyke” She yelled with some volume. Composing herself, she stomped forward to retrieve her arrows. Passing the tree, she retrieved the first and put it away.

She hesitated in retrieving the second for a couple of reasons: A strange feeling of dread was building steadily in her chest and she could hear sounds in the distance the sounded like voices. If someone was up ahead, maybe her arrow had disturbed them. She didn’t want to deal with strangers up here where visibility was limited to how thick the mist was. She needed to get home or it would soon become late afternoon, and the days light would fade. At least Kieran wasn’t here, she would worry about such a small bird in a place like this. Unwilling to waste an arrow, Kris continued to walk forward, but with caution. Her heart was racing but she felt reckless. Being cooped up in an apartment living a life seemingly without imperfection had left her restless.

[Xylona Redwater]

Xylona fiddled with the sleeve of her cloak nervously as she peered out into the evening fog. It had been years since she had last set foot in these mountains but even now, all they held were unpleasant memories. Her mind screamed at her to turn around, to head home and forget all about this place. Sadly, forgetting was the one thing she couldn't do. No, she had to face this. Xylona took inventory one last time before she set out. Her knife was safely tucked into her sleeve, her waterskin hung loosely at her hip and her journal dug into her abdomen from it's place in her pocket. It was time to go.

There could have been better days for her to face her fears for sure. The fog made it difficult to see anything more than a few feet in front of her. Combined with the thick growth of trees and the loose rocks under her feet, the journey was perilous to say the least. More than once, the girl ended up on her knees, dirt and rocks speckling her fair skin. She did find some relief, however, in speaking aloud to coach herself along.

"Come on, you've just got to make it to the top of this petching hill. Then you can stop and rest for awhile."

Although the physical struggle was rough, nothing could compare to the mental struggle she felt when she heard the sound of water spilling over the land. Her green eyes grazed over the cascading waterfall briefly, unable to see even the other side in the waning light, but that was all it took to let the emotion free inside her. Xylona collapsed on the nearest rock and dropped her head into her hands, fighting nausea. She had known there would be some kind of flowing water here, so why had she come? Was she so stupid as to think she could handle it? She could almost hear her mother's voice, laughing at her own jokes. Her father felt so near she could hear his heavy voice singing over the rush of the water. She froze for a long while, just trying to ward off the emotion, thankful that no one was around to see her like this. Once she felt she had a firm reign on her feelings, Xylona sighed and lifted her head. The waterfall was still there, taunting her with it's hungry waves and angry sounds. Searching for a distraction, Xylona yanked out her journal.

She flipped to the first clean page and set her pen to the paper. She didn't really know what she was doing, and the picture itself was horribly awkward, but it felt right to be drawing. Her hands moved of their own accord, drawing curved hills and flat plains. She was half-way through covering her horrific doodle in fog when she heard a shout from below.

"Shyke!"

Xylona closed the book silently and crept closer to the edge, straining to see down below. It appeared that there were a few people shuffling about- at least one of them with a weapon. Trying to count the people was no use, she would have to be a hawk to see properly. One, two...or is that a tree? Her first instinct was to slide down the mountainside and engage in the combat that was sure to follow, but the rocks that continuously tumbled to the ground were a great reminder of the safety of her plan. Rather, she sought out the path she had followed up. It was much less steep and had a handful of trees to cling to should she stumble. It would take some time to get there, but she wasn't about to miss an opportunity to rumble.

Just as Xylona's feet had found flat ground, she heard voices again. They were farther away, probably having moved since she heard them last. This wasn't the same frustrated voice as before though. These voices were quiet and mischievous. They were plotting something. Adrenaline rushed through the girl from head to toe.

Without stopping to think, Xylona called out into the forest, "I know you're there!"

[Krisa]

OOC NOTEI havn't heard from Liriah that she is going to join, so I thought I'd just post. Also sorry for the wait, i've been ill the past few days

[indent]Peering further into the murky darkness, and staring at the floor, she continued to search for her arrows. The fog was thinner in this forest than up on the mountains from whence she had come, but it was unnerving none the less that she could not see the people she could hear so clearly. She still wasn’t close enough to make out what it was that they were saying, so she kept walking at a slow and steady place, watching her footing and keeping her eyes peeled for danger. Her being was full of frustration and recklessness today that she couldn’t even recognize herself. Krisa, usually so small, so docile, couldn’t-hurt-a-fly Krisa had stepped behind a veil, and her avora-self had stepped into the light instead. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was angry, or who or what the anger was aimed towards, but she knew she would never have gone anywhere near a set of male voices in such a place as this had she not felt like this.

Her silent steps grey closer and closer, and eventually she could hear snippets of conversation. It was a mixture of foul language and malformed sentences that were spoken in such fast and loud common that she couldn’t recognize most of the words that she should know. She felt the obligatory flash of fear as the shapes of these large men came into focus, but it was suppressed by angry flashbacks of herself. Young Dek Krisa cowering in the shadows because she wasn’t good enough. Young Krisa, so weak, so hopeless taking others abuse and never fighting back. Voices in her head screaming at her so damn loud that she nearly stumbled and fell, to be consumed by her own madness. But instead she lifted herself above it, and channeled it into reckless courage. Courage that was so very Inarten, and so very stupid. What chance, in hindsight, would she have against these men should they attack her? There were three of them and they looked able to kill her without batting an eyelid

Still, the sight of her arrow, being examined was enough to cause her to want it back out of their big sweaty paws. So she drew back into the mist and loaded another arrow, ready to shoot it into their midst and really freak them out. She felt like crying out to her society back in wind reach, demanding they watch her now! Stupid petches, Kris was better. But a voice made her stop. It was female, it was loud and it was just as reckless as what Krisa had been about to do. “I know you’re there!” it said. But she couldn’t see the culprit. The voices became startled, and annoyed. They dropped her arrow on the ground and started moving towards the voice. One of them was laughing “Hah, whose there? Show us your Kina lady, and maybe we wont hurt yah.” The taunts grew louder, always followed with laughter.

Krisa decided to hang back in the shadows for now. After all, it would give her an advantage against them. That is, if she could petching aim right this time. calm down Krisie Krisa jumped, almost squeaking and giving away her position. It was Lemma’s voice. You’ll never shoot straight if you can’t focus. Its about patience, and strength. So focus, focus for me . Krisa closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she could see more clearly, and think more precisely. That girl had put herself in so much danger, but Krisa needed to wait, and shoot them down if things looked bad. Rushing out there would get both of them killed. Stay in the mist, Krisa, focus

[Xylona Redwater]

Xylona instantly regretted her brash decisions when the multitude of voices grew louder still. It was clear there was more than one, but they hid among the fog, the only hint of their presence being the rowdy laughter rising above the treetops. The owner of the loudest voice slipped forward, emerging from the fog like a ghost rising from his grave. Wet droplets of mist clung to his coat, shimmering lightly. A roguish grin grew on his face as he prodded again.

"Come on dolly, we know yah got some Kina. I can see it in that pocket a yours."

The man nodded clumsily towards her cloak before weaving up to the trembling girl. All her bravery vanished in a wisp of smoke, leaving Xylona frozen. He stopped before her, his face so close she could smell the faint sting of alcohol on his breath. His large hands slid down her side to the opening of her cloak. Peeling it open, he stuffed his hand inside and fished around before closing his fingers on the tiny bag of cash, his eyes never leaving Xylona's. Spell-bound, she watched as he slowly withdrew the bag and cradled it in his left hand. With his right hand, he reached out and patted her cheek.

"See? That's it. Not so bad now was it? Now you can scurry on yer merry little way. Be quick though, we wouldn't want any a the boys to follow yah." Laughter howled behind him like a pack of hyenas.

As he turned away, the spell shattered and Xylona's courage came soaring back to her. A roaring sound pulsed in her ears and her feet tingled with the itch to kick, to run, to do something to stop this thief. Her stomach dropped as she realized what she was going to do. Her fingers closed around the tiny knife on her wrist and released it, brandishing it as though it were her only life-line, for it very well might have been. She tried to speak, but nothing came out at first. Clearing her throat, she tried again, but it was little more than a whisper. She had never been very good at words, but it was enough to get the brute's attention.

"That's mine."

He paused, just a step away from her. Rage flooded through her, and she struggled to contain it. She didn't want to be a killer; killers were cold-blooded people, raw and void of emotion. Xylona's resolve dissipated, however, when she saw her parent's eyes. She stepped forward, carefully positioning the knife just above his back.

"It was sweetheart, but it's mine now."

The bandit glanced over his shoulder to wink at her- just in time to see the knife sink into the base of his neck.

[Krisa]

Krisa stared into the mist at the figures and crept forward at the same time they did, being sure to be quiet. The young ladies actions had warranted the loss of her kina. Krisa took a deep breath. If he hurt her, she would fire, if not, she would shoot at his friends. Plans began to formulate rapidly, but Krisa didn’t want to move rashly, she had already seen what it brought about. And she was still a novice shooter and she needed adequate time to focus and aim. The leader of the pack, a great big tough guy with broad shoulders and a scraggily face of brown stubble was robbing her of her kina. Krisa bristled and held her drawn arrow tighter and tighter until her fingers became white. She would NOT let men hurt anyone like they had hurt her in the past.

But now they were coming her way, The leader had turned around with some comment that his friends found absolutely hilarious. It left a bad taste in Krisa’s mouth and she shuddered violently against the images she couldn’t help but recal as soon as she saw men like this. The woman just stood there, letting them take what they wanted, which also reminded her of herself when she was younger. Even now she might be prone to fall into one of her fantasies and treat scum like royalty for fear they might hurt her. But these howling buffoons just made her angry.

A movement behind the pack leader broke her anger into pieces and replaced it with a sick feeling. The woman had jumped forward, a knife glinting in her pale hands, and slashed the bandit across the base of his neck. He cried out feebly and fell to his knees, and then onto his face. The woman’s Kina spilled out onto the grass covered land. The knife had cut deeply, god knows how deep in this mist, but if the blood puddle was anything to go by, Krisa could say safely he wasn’t getting up again. The other bandits took a while to recover from the shock of it, but Krisa could see their next move. Anger enveloped them as they closed in to take their revenge on the girl for killing their leader. Livid expressions turned into swearing and the drawing of weapons.

NOW

Krisa let an arrow fly and it snagged one of them in the thigh. He cried out with agony and Krisa moved from her position so they wouldn’t pinpoint her, as silently as she could. Another arrow came flying out of the mist as adrenilin surged through her. This one wasn’t a direct hit but it scraped past his side, causing a huge gash to open up. The bandits were very shocked, mouths hung agape, and eyes were widened. Krisa felt a surge of power, something she had never felt in her life. She felt she could do anything! She could defeat anyone. But it was possible that she had mistaken their numbers, for whenever one went down, another seemed to replace them.

“Shyke!” She yelled jumping about a foot in the air as one of the men’s faces appeared next to hers. She had lost her ground, and could not shoot, and suddenly two big hands had pushed her so hard that she fell onto the ground with a painful thump. Where was that girl? Krisa couldn’t see her. Because fear plagued her. The yells around her were nothing compared to the commotion going on inside her head as that man stood towering over her. Fear plagued everything as every horrible sensation, every painful beating, and that last attack. The most violent, the one that had landed her mind and soul in such a dark place. It over came all her senses and when he moved to put his blade against her throat she rolled and cut him across the thigh. She couldn’t let it happen again.

Tears had sprung into her eyes as she backed away. This fight had gotten completely out of hand with that first strike.

[Xylona Redwater]

OOCSorry about the wait. Promise I'll be better from now on.

Xylona stood for a moment, watching the man pitch towards the ground, a deep gash in his neck. Her emotions were a sickening mixture of pride and fear. Pride for her own capabilities, fear for theirs. They were strong in numbers, and well programmed. The bandits flowed into the open like a single beast, each thinking the same thoughts. Find, kill, steal.

Xylona steadied herself against a tree to catch her breath. It was then that the arrow protruding from one bandit's leg. Were they shooting each other? It didn't look like any of them had a bow. Besides that, they looked as befuddled as she felt. Confused looks were shared- as well as a few surprised shouts- before the rage returned. Xylona craned her neck, trying to find the source of the arrows, but was soon interrupted by a burly fellow with ratty brown hair.

His breathing was fast and choppy, as were his movements. He might have been skilled with the dagger he held if he hadn't been so enraged. Anger glowed in his eyes, allowing Xylona an upper-hand. Trying to keep her mind calm, Xylona shifted to the side and let her knife slice the bandit's wrist as she passed. Blood sprang to the surface of his tan skin, causing a throaty howl that should have belonged to a beast.

Confidence rose in her and settled much like the fog- clouding her vision. Xylona couldn't resist. She had to open her mouth and comment on the bandit's lowly position.

"Not so funny now, eh?"

In as long as it had taken her to speak, the bandit's dagger had found it's way to her shoulder. She shied away from the blade, but not in time. A thin, hairline cut found it's home on her bicep. It was time to end this. Her knife seemed to guide itself, hitting him, though not where she had wanted. She had stabbed his hand, successfully forcing the bandit into retreat, but not ensuring he wouldn't come back.

Xylona wasn't taking another chance at standing around. She took off in a random direction, hoping that it was close to the way she had come. She hadn't made it a few feet past the first tree when saw her, fragile and silent. The girl with the bow.

[Krisa]

oocMan, I'm not sure how long it's been. I'm sorry about leaving this for a while. I don't usually but I managed to twist my ankle really badly and I lost some motivation for a while. But I'm back ^_^ Your post was just what I needed to re-inspire me hahah

The man swung at her wildly with his short sword, and she met it with her dagger, the weapons clanging loudly. His swing was so much more powerful than her block and the dagger nearly went flying out of her grip. The second time he swung she stepped backwards, but not far enough. The tip of the blade scraped across her shoulder and chest. It was not the worst thing that could have come from a blow like that but it wasn’t exactly a tickle. Blood pooled immediately, and Krisa’s knee’s felt weak. The man had a smug expression on his face. The way he walked towards her slowly now, with confidence that he had her out matched made her freeze. The hand that held her dagger outwards towards him was shaking violently. She knew why she was never made anything above Dek. Because she was useless at anything even remotely close to this.

All men who smirked like this brought back horrible things that she had tried to burry deep inside her. And she knew, if she did nothing any longer she would die. He was taking his time because he was cocky, but it wouldn’t last forever. Without warning she jumped backwards, whipping out an arrow and shooting it, at brutally close range, into his gut. As the man bent double, the power came back to her. She felt strong she felt big.

But then he looked at her, his soul leaving his eyes as death took him from the world.

She met his eyes as he fell, and she felt as if she might cry. She had killed someone. He had been trying to kill her, but in that instance nothing mattered other than she had killed that man. Not only that but she had felt GOOD about it. She had felt POWERFUL. She didn’t like it. Not at all. She couldn’t become that person. And now others were coming, crying bloody murder, their eyes filled with hatred for what she had done. They would not approach her slowly or draw out the fight. They would not taunt her or smirk at her. They wanted her blood. And Krisa wasn’t ready to die yet. So she was able, in all her horror, to pull herself together and run. They were on her like a pack of dogs, but she was faster. She had not a clue what had happened to the girl, but she couldn’t look for her. Krisa gritted her teeth and ran as fast as she could.

It wasn’t long before she saw the girl.

There she was. Right in front of her. They didn’t have time to chat yet though. “Go!” She gasped, then, realized in the heat of it all she had forgotten herself and used her own language, Nari instead of common. She said it again as she jogged past her, “Come on” She said, huffing already, feeling like she was a step away from death. That surge of power she had felt had been so short lived.

She needed to get away from the danger, and she was glad the girl was alright.

[Xylona Redwater]

The stillness didn't last long. In the time it took Xylona to blink, the girl had blown past her, shouting something in Nari that was incomprehensible to her. The meaning was clear enough though.

"Come on!"

This time, the girl spoke in Common, seemingly having realized her mistake. The sound of the bandits was still loud- despite the fact that several were injured and left behind- and they were getting closer by the second. Left with no other option, Xylona channeled her rage into her feet and pushed off the ground furiously.

She had never been the fastest. While her body, thin and nimble, was shaped perfectly for speed, her sheltered life in Lhavit offered few opportunities to run. If there was ever a time she regretted her lazy lifestyle, it was now. Her lungs began to feel deflated, her sides wanted to buckle and her knees felt horribly jostled from the rocky ground. Every once in a while, she could feel a stray pebble jam itself between her feet and the solid ground, causing a moment of panic as she hurtled toward the earth. Yet, each time, she managed to pick herself up and continue, egged on by the fading roars of the hungry bandits.

I better have some petching strong leg muscles after this. Xylona thought, reaching a hand out to wipe the steady drizzle of blood from her bicep. Trying to ignore the sting of dirt in her wound, she kept her eyes pinned on the bright orange hair. It bobbed just ahead of her, tauntingly out of reach. How is she so fast?

Xylona laughed, a dry, strangled sound that burned her throat. It must do wonders to your speed when your life is on the line. It never crossed her mind that maybe her life was on the line too.

The roar of the herd faded with distance. The mist crept eerily closer, hiding the shapes of the bandits. Out of breath, she slumped against a tree. Still frightened by the looming presence of thieves, she whispered into the mist, first in the best Nari she could, then switching to Common.

"Inarta? H...Hey?"

"Are you out there?"

[Krisa]

Turning sharply, zigzagging, weaving in and out of trees and shrubs the Inarten ran for her dear life, the other girl behind her by a few meters. The Bandits were losing them but it was clear they were not going to give up. She needed to hide somewhere out of sight so they would run past them both. ‘The other girl. I have to make sure she’s…’ She was gone! She was too far behind and Krisa had lost sight of her. She stopped dead. Terror caught hold of all the breath left in her lungs. She had doomed one man to death, and now she had left a girl for dead behind her. How could she have been so selfish as to run ahead of her.

Then she heard her voice. In accented Nari first, and then in Common tongue. The relief was overwhelming. “Here!” She said. Krisa rushed back to the girls side and grabbed hold of her arm. Ahead she had seen a clump of rocks covering a decline in the hill. She urged the young woman forward and desperately pulled her behind the rocky shelter. She put a finger to her lips and waited for the bandits to pass them by.

And they did. Still shouting and cursing, and calling out for the escaped females. Krisa felt strangely numb, unable to do anything but hold her breath and close her eyes as tightly as she could. Once they had all gone from earshot, Krisa let her breath burst from her lungs in a huge sigh of relief. She took a moment to let the shock of it all pass. “Y-Y-You o-okay?” She said haltingly, looking up at the girl. She was pretty. Her eyes were captivating. A very similar green to Krisa’s own eyes. Her light brown hair was lovely and soft, and her lips were full and pale pink. Krisa tore her eyes away realizing she was staring, and stood up from the uncomfortable kneeling position she had landed in when she skidded behind the rocks. She realised she was still bleeding from the gash on her shoulder and chest, but she could barely feel it.


She offered her hand hoping to help the girl to her feet “My name is Krisa.” She told her, eyes still wide and panicky. The only reason she was not a sobbing mess on the ground right now was that nothing had truly sunk in yet. But slowly the truth was dawning on her once more. Voices cackled inside her head, praising her for her ability to end a man’s life without thought. She shook her head violently and found that if she stood any more she might fall down. She she sat down on top of the rocks and ran her hands through her hair “I’m sorry I… I’ve never…” She was finding it hard to speak. Murderer was all she heard. The chanting in her head louder than any of the voices she’d ever heard before “…K-Killed anyone… b-before” She managed to finish her sentence, keeping it all in common, even through her internal ruckus.

She’d never wanted to become like this. How could she complain about the evils of this world if she was one herself?



——
OOC:

Hiya Xylona.

I’m terribly sorry for abandoning the site for a while. I had a few family issues and stress with school and such going on and everything got hectic for me.
But I’ve returned having graduated from high school and hoping to revisit this. Because I do love this thread.

Sorry
Kriss~

[Xylona Redwater]

OOC- I have been gone for so long with school and other various issues and I'm so sorry. If you still want to continue this thread I'm up for it.

Xylona knelt down as close to the ground as possible while still keeping the Inartan in sight. Her bright orange hair was captivating, even more so when her pale skin was taken into account. The girl's eyes were a solid green that was somehow comforting, even in the current situation.

"Krisa." Xylona murmured the girl's name, hoping to commit it to memory. "I'm Xylona." She felt bad, not being able to switch more easily into the Nari tongue, and silently promised to study the language. If they could get out of here that was.

Xylona bowed her head in the direction of the softly sputtering girl. Comfort didn't come easily to her, but she knew she had to try. Krisa had just saved her life. It would be the least she could do. Also, If Xylona couldn't comfort Krisa, the sound of her hysteria could lure the bandits back. So, despite her discomforts, Xylona reached out a tentative hand to place on the girl's shoulder as she spoke. Unsure how much the girl knew of Common, Xylona spoke soft and slow.

"It's ok. Killing isn't something that should be easy. It's a very terrible thing. It's only natural to be a little beat-up about it. But you were defending your own life. There was no other option."

Xylona glanced towards the entrance nervously, then back towards the girl. The confines of this little space were not going to help either of them if trouble returned. She hated to push her so early, and yet...
"Do you think you can stand?"