No Guts, No Glory [Revy, closed]

by **Cayenne** on May 28th, 2012, 1:06 am

Who: Revy Hiroe
When: 20th of Spring, 512 AV
Where: Central-Western Falyndar

Taloba was surprisingly businesslike after the massive storm. Revy, and everyone else in the city, had been ushered in, it seemed, to the temple, and from the temple, underground. It had been a place, the young woman realized, that few ever saw in their lifetimes. Few Myrians were even aware of its existence. But military discipline, drilled into the dark-skinned Falyndarian natives around her, did not fall away even in the face of unknown, pending, probable disaster. The leadership had been calm and confident, even as torches were lit and revealed a strange maze that stretched beneath the city. Though how far, Revy couldn’t tell. The cobwebs had been undisturbed for possibly generations. Who would possibly have expected -this- to be there? From the murmurs and looks of the Myrians around her, it was quite possible that the Goddess-Queen of the jungle city had been holding out on all of them about this location, much less accessing it.

Food and water had been passed out, order was kept, stories were told, and there was a surreal calm that seemed to be inspired by the ghostly figures who moved amongst them easily. It wasn’t easy to figure out, but apparently, these figures were part of what seemed to translate to Shadow Guard. It wasn’t easy, being a human in Taloba - there was a deep-seated distrust of outsiders, nourished from the time they could crawl. Outsiders were enemies and food, with few exceptions. But Revy had shown she wasn’t easy to push around, could pull her weight, and could handle weapons and armor knowledgeably. The weak-willed did not survive here. The lazy, the shiftless found themselves on their own... or sacrificed on the temple altar. But those who showed they weren’t squeamish and were willing to work...

Opportunities presented themselves.

And now, with the storm over, and the Myrians were shorthanded more than ever. Shorthanded enough that they were even accepting able-bodied volunteers to come along on patrols. Revy had been asked. She would be paid for it, of course, and if she was successful, then she would have more chances with such employment. This one, it seemed, was a trial run. And once you were of age with Myrians, it was out of the frying pan and into the fire. She was on the way to Zinrah to take part in the new barricade around the nest. They’d be camping out for a while - without tents, without much but a few supplies and whatever they found for themselves, watching the snake nest for anything going in and out.

No guts, no glory.

It was a surprisingly quiet walk and progressed extraordinarily quickly, though it was somewhat more wearing on Revy than her current companions. The Fang she was accompanying - Myrian army units of 10 were called Fangs, apparently - talked very little, it seemed, but that might have been because not only were they listening for the dangers in the jungle, but aware that the less sound they made, the less they gave indication of their presence to potential predators and enemies. They moved in groups of three and four, their leathers and skins stained to help blend in, all of them armed to the teeth. Revy didn’t even see the other two groups once they broke camp and kept moving - they met only to camp at night. “Good weather,” one of group murmured to her as they worked their way towards Zinrah. “We’re almost at the mud pits.” He was Firit of the Jagged Blade, middle-aged, experienced, and about the same height as she was - though his hair certainly made him taller. His hair was worn in a mohawk, a thick, almost bushy, band of hair from forehead to the nape of his neck. The rest of his hair was shorn away - he was otherwise bald, and his scalp had been tattooed. She’d seen the Myrian tattooing methods, and could well imagine what he’d gone through to have such a sensitive place decorated thusly.

The other two that she traveled with were females - one carried a polearm that looked like it had been made of bone, along with other weapons at her hips and back, an axe, a machete, and what looked like a slate-lined club; and the other was armed a shortbow and a waist of daggers. They were Kazca of the Jagged Blade, Firit’s twin sister, and Neikalsa of the Morning Bird, respectively. They were easy to tell apart, despite their similar styles of dress and armor. Kazca had a number of piercings in her ears and another on her tongue, and her teeth had been filed into fangs. Her hair was a number of thin braids woven flat against her scalp and knotted tight in warrior’s knots. Neikalsa’s hair was bunned at the back of her neck, and heavily tattooed to make herself blend in - as if not leaving it to the paint she could apply and what she wore. If Revy wasn’t watching, it was easy enough for the woman to disappear amongst the leaves. Neikalsa was the youngest of them all, and she was acting primarily as scout, in the lead, then Kazca, while Firit and Revy brought up the rear.

by **Revy Hiroe** on May 29th, 2012, 4:13 pm

oocCay, you can make the date at the 20th, that way Revy will get enough recovery time from the Winter quest

The vast cave, maze or whatever the myrians called it, had blown Revy's mind. The situation outside wasn't on her mind at all, she could mostly only gaze over what was underground. It seemed to her that some myrians also were quite surprised, but she didn't really pay attention to it. What really drew her attention was the fact that ghosts, or something like it, where moving through the ranks of the myrians and were passing out food and water. She felt like asking someone what those apparitions where, but remembered that she was just a deyhan, an outsider, someone no myrian trusted. "That's a question I'll have to save for later I guess, once they at least accept me a little.", she thought to herself.

After the storm it seemed as if every able myrian went out to work on whatever damage the city had taken. Patrols were formed and to the mercenary's surprise, she was asked to come along one. There would be compensation for it, which was a reason why she joined, but also because there was going to be fighting. Most likely the fighting would be plentiful, something she enjoyed mostly. This was why she had replied rather fast that she'd come with them. She had almost licked her lips at the foresight of the fights she'd get into.

The journey through the thick forest was taxing, not as much as when she had arrived, but it was still not easy for her. The fact that the jungle had crept up to the city walls was something the human hadn't expected and made her wonder what had happened. While she knew that magic existed, she didn't know what it could do, nor that it was even more dangerous to go through the dense jungle now than back when she went with Siiri and Mihai to save Miharu.

Revy had brought all of her gear with her, her towershield, her longsword and her glaive. In the backpack she had taken the oil whetstone and cleaning cloth, the rope, blanket and a bedroll. She hadn't bothered taking her tent, because she had been informed that she wouldn't need it. With the shield carried over her backpack, the human in the group did her best to keep up. The need to keep up drove all of the memories she had of winter straight out of her head, luckily for her. It wasn't something she'd want to remember.

Revy had a hard time keeping track of the leading woman of the fang. She blended into the foilage so easily it was almost scary. That was at least one opponent she didn't want to face in the jungle. The other two seemed to be able to hold themselves more then well enough too. "Darnit, even if we come across an enemy, these guys will probably take care of it before I even have a chance to react.", she thought, "The mudpits?", she mumbled as she heard Firit speak.

The human, while having been in Falyndar for about two seasons now, still didn't know the layout of it. Nor did she remember all the names of the locations. She should try to at least remember it once she came back. That would make it easier for her later on if she ever decided to make a trip this way again.

by **Traverse** on May 6th, 2013, 2:49 pm

NPCs :

Firit's head turned slowly, hearing the human muttering, and drew even with her as they marched. There was something quite Myrian in the amount of gear the human chose to carry with her, despite the fact that they were not weapons most in the jungles would be familiar with. What use was a tower shield in such closely knitted jungle foliage after all?

Their walk was quiet and steady, and though the mohawked male knew his female companions preferred to stay silent, it seemed their plus one was lacking some of the information required. This was unsurprising given her outsider status. Myrians were a tight lipped bunch to barbarians. "Patch of jungle littered with run off from the summer monsoons." He explained, voice quiet, but loud enough for Revy to hear being so close to him. "We think of it as the marking point for Dhani activity, if they do get out of Zinrah, they usually don't get any father than there, but with the storm..."

"Those shyke heads have gone everywhere." Neikalsa had come up behind them, and a small smirk lit up her face to see Firit start as if being caught stealing. She yanked on his hair, and slid back into the jungle, her next words slowly fading back into the foliage, leaving Firit with a scowl. "We'll be one of the crews mopping em' up."

And then she was gone.

Revy would be able to hear the mud pits before their little group caught them in sights. A distinctive popping sound echoed throughout the jungle, the sound increasing with every careful step of their party. It took a half bell more for them to reach the clearing of the boiling mud pots simmering in the hot Falyndar sun. The rest of the fang was collected on the outer layer of jungle surrounding the pits, eating a few quick rations. Neikalsa made her way over the the fang leader, a long slender woman whose name Revy was not yet aware of, but whose stance and demeanor spoke volumes about her standing within the group of 9 others she commanded. "Quarter of a bell break." Firit explained. "Scouts'll trade info then we'll keep moving." He leaned up against a tree and Kazca took another one opposite, surveying the pits warily. It seemed the entire fang was chomping at the bit to keep moving, but they were nearly there, and no one saw any need to rush when their enemy could be anywhere.

by **Revy Hiroe** on May 30th, 2013, 10:41 am

The mercenary couldn't picture what the male myrian was talking about at all. She was used to the climate in Sylira. Something like a monsoon was foreign to her. "Monsoons? What the hell are those? And what is the run off from that?", she thought to herself. Of course, she kept this to herself, because she didn't want to be made into a laughing stock, so she just replied: "Ok."

However, the talk about Dhani did set off something inside of her. She still hadn't forgotten what that Dhani did back in fall. Having your dominant arm broken was something that greatly complicated things for her. Yet at the same time it did give her the opportunity to practice her other hand.
Of course the storm wasn't a good thing to hear about either. The violent weather that it had caused, not to mention the fact that the jungle was now up to the walls of Taloba. It had given her an eerie feeling, as if the safety of those walls had been severely compromised. That was actually one of the things that also weighed in her decision to accompany this fang.

The words of one of the females caused the human to start grinning. Killing Dhani, oh the joy she was going to have. Time to make that petcher's race pay for his mistake. "Mop up. Now that is like music to my ears. Can't wait to gut some of em.", she said with a soft, but bloodthirsty voice.

Upon sighting the mud-pits, Revy was slightly surprised. So run off from the monsoons meant mud... and lots of it, but she quickly regained her composure when she heard that they had a quarter bell break. The break was nice for the human. Unlike the myrians, she wasn't completely accustomed to walking in the jungle. However, even though she enjoyed the rest, she felt the tension in the group. It caused her to keep her guard up as well, laying her hand on her weapon and looked over the mudpits, trying to see if there were any Dhani.

She was getting slightly impatient. She wanted to bury her sword into one of the stomaches of those Dhani again. She wanted to fight them, her hate driving her onwards. "Don't think I'm going to get to use my glaive. Should train with it first. Guess it's just down to my longsword then., she thought to herself, "My shield should come to good use. Can at least deflect those blows of those petchers with it.

oocSrry for the long wait. My muse was not cooperating.

by **Traverse** on June 3rd, 2013, 11:51 am

Firit nodded, pleased to see that the human was as eager to go as his comrades.

A couple more chimes and their wing of the fang was back in order. Neikalsa cam to them, a grim smile upon her features.

"They say there's a cavern no far past the pits, sunken city or some shyke. 'Parently the Dhani have been holing up there, trying to create some sort of outpost for Zinrah."

Like the siblings they were Firit and Kazca spat simultaneously upon the ground in disgust. Neikalsa looked to Revy. "Should even be some killing left over for you, human." It wasn't entirely an insult...but neither was it said in a way that suggested the camaraderie which Firit had begun to display. Regardless of the nature of the comment, it was clear it was time to move out.

They skirted around the mud pits. The smell alone could ruin one's scent when hunting, sticking to your clothes. Perhaps that was the reason the Dhani had chosen some ruins nearby. It took half a bell to make their way around the place in its entirety, and a full one to march through the forest after that.

There was no discernible trail to follow, yet everyone moved unthinkingly through the jungle. As long as Revy kept Firit and Kazca in sight (something that wasn't always as easy as it sounds in the thick jungle) she would be fine.

The call for a halt came in as a whistling whippoorwill call that carried from mouth to mouth across the troop. Their pace did not stop completely, just slowed down, until a strange band of Myrian bodies formed in a half circle. As Revy drew level with her comrades she would see what qualified for a clearing the the Jungle Wilds of Falyndar. Scrubs, ferns and vines still crawled along, but it was significantly absent of any large trees, and if her eyes looked farther she could see the strange dilapidated stone archway, half sunk into the ground that served as an entrance.

"Looks like a trap." Kazca muttered, her first words.

"With Dhani? It's always a trap." It was the woman in the flesh, their fang leader. Revy's three companions bowed their heads in something between a salute and a sign of deference. The woman had dark skin, covered with metal studs upon her face and arms in place of traditional tattoos. Her hair was a series of long dreadlocks tied up with a leather strip, and her eyes were a strange hazel with orange flecks, bright in her dark face. "I am Kilith of the Patient Shadows, human." She cocked her head to the side, clearly sizing up Revy. "Are you prepared for this? We will be the party at the head." An exciting and potentially deadly prospect that was, but right now...there were just those two bright eyes boring into Revy's own.

by **Revy Hiroe** on June 10th, 2013, 11:28 am

The words from Neikalsa made the mercenary snicker a little. Some left over for her? She'd make sure that she GOT some kills herself. She'd proven that she was just as good as a Myrian in combat through her spar with Nyaela. Apparently she had to prove herself again. Well... that wouldn't be too hard now would it. It was just a repetition of before; show off her strength in combat, make sure these guys think more highly of her.

After moving out, the human did her best to keep up, which was not that easy. While she had gotten a little bit used to the jungle, traversing it was still not her forte. Yet she somehow managed to keep up, even if it was a little. That's why she arrived not that much later at their target than the other members. Seeing why everyone slowed down, even before they spoke, she slid her shield off her back and then onto her arm. A fight was going to erupt here, she could just feel it from the tension.

The words of it looking like a trap only served to confirm her gut feeling. And what came next, completely caught her by surprise. Apparently she had to 'spring' the trap laid out in front of them together with the fang's leader Kilith. A wide grin appeared on her face, she would be the first to the action. "I'm ready.", was all she said as she got up. This was going to be fun, really fun. Killing those petching dhani on top of a good fight was always worth it.

by **Traverse** on June 13th, 2013, 12:07 pm

Fang :

The fang leader studied the human for a moment, and then nodded. She wouldn't have been brought along had she not already shown ability comparable to a Myrian, and that was enough for the fierce warrioress.

With a twirl of Kilith's finger their fang formed up, she took the lead, and Revy found herself in single filed line sandwiched between Firit and Kazca just behind the fang leader as they entered the strange sunken cavern.

One had to duck their head to enter, that was how low the once horizontal stone pillar sat, but once they had entered there was room enough to stand without being in danger of bumping one's extremities.

There were not stairs...at least not in their entirety, yet as the procession walked, there was a noticeable downward slant sometimes interrupted by an ancient stone step that brought them deeper downward even as they moved forward.

Very soon it became as cool and as damp as Falyndar's climate would allow, the pungent stench of loamy soil and the decomposers that lurked within its confines permeated the dark cavern. At the rear and front of the procession torches were lit, showing Revy a combination of soil and bits of old stone ruins peeking out from the walls. Everyone was silent as the grave, and soon the tunnel opened up to let two people walk comfortably astride one another. The fang moved in tandem, shortening their line, eyes wary. No traps awaited them, or creatures of any kind large or small, so they trekked in silence, the passage of time mute in the dark tunnels.

Until they came upon a split in the way, one left, one right. Kilith and Neikalsa were arguing at the point, having made their way a bit ahead of the fang.

"I am not splitting up the fang, Kalsa."

"But if we all go down one path it makes it easy for them to circle around and decimate us, it'll be slaughter."

"And it will not be slaughter if there are Dhani down each path and we are only at half strength? We go together or turn around here." Kilith's final words brooked no argument and Neikalsa backed off, brows furrowed.

"The only question is which path to take..." The leader mused, fang slowly forming up around her. She turned to Revy.

"What do you say, human?"

If Revy was to study each pathway in length she would notice that they both began quite the same, there was nothing but soil, suggesting that both passages had been purposefully dug out. That being said, from the faint torchlight breathing down each, the left path seemed entirely dirt, while the right one emerged into stone about ten yards down the path, almost as if it had once been a real hallway.

OOCThe choice is yours!

by **Revy Hiroe** on June 14th, 2013, 9:25 pm

No sounds, except from the fang, just an eerie silent darkness. What was worse, was that there was no sign of their prey. The mercenary's hands started to itch more and more. She was getting really impatient, something which she knew she should become, because it was lethal in combat. Being too impatient would lead to mistakes, often fatal ones.

The woman kept scanning her environment, searching for any clue for Dhani presence... and found nothing. What the petch was going on? Wasn't it so that these ruins should have been filled with those slithering bastards? It was actually the only reason she went into them. Her usual decision was to turn around and leave any form of ruins behind her, because where ruins are, there is magic.

However, up till the split in the road, they still hadn't found anything. This was getting ridiculous. While the leader was arguing with some of the others, Revy looked down both of the pathways. It was clear that the left one was just dug out, while the right one seemed to have traces of buildings. With her regular reasoning she would pick left, but somehow she just got the feeling that the right side might be interesting for a change.
So when the question came which side she'd choose, she told them: "Right side. Seems to have buildings or something, so it'd be easier to hide there with so many possibilities for ambush points. A newly dug out tunnel wouldn't have these all to much."
"Bloody Dhani, show up for petching sake. I wanna fight, no murder you all.", she thought to herself. Her grip around her longsword had gotten tighter, she was getting rather impetuous.

by **Traverse** on June 27th, 2013, 7:51 pm

OOCSincerest Apologies for the Delay!

Kilith observed Revy for a moment, dark eyes glistening like Obsidian in the torchlight. "Point taken, come to the front with me, human."

Kilith gestured toward the right passageway and took one of the torches, walking side by side with Revy down the dirt pathway that soon transformed into stone. From the way the fire light bounced off of the old granite, these structures had once been exquisite...not that any of the current fang members walking by the ancient wall seemed to care. Half worn carvings of great battles and strange intricate runes were chiseled into the tough rock face, casting strange geometrical shadows as the flickering flames caught the grooves in the wall.

Slowly the hall way widened, first to allow three people side by side, but soon it was large enough to fit five and more than tall enough to accommodate any full grown Dhani slithering around the tunnels. The fang tightened up, moving in a line three people wide, the troches reaching the edges of the large room.

Revy's prediction had been correct, as there were several alcoves left over from whatever structure had once been above ground to hide behind. Large pillars and curves in the walls could easily hide a Myrian body and be too small to fit a large Dhani. Kilith nodded in approval as they walked. She glanced over to Revy and chuckled, taking in her tense stance and ready blade arm.

"You are like an eager cub, human. The killing will be soon, no doubt, no need to rush." The fang leader ordered a halt with a raised fist, and all feet ceased moving in tandem. Ahead was a single narrow path, also stone.

"Kalsa, Terrin, Gyva, Histin, Jiquin, Merci. Spread out and fill up the holes. If Dhani are coming at our backs I want us to be ready. Kazca, Firit, the human and I will scout up ahead. Stay quiet at all costs and douse your torches. If the Dhani come upon you, I want the only warning to us to be the sounds of you fighting."

Kilith moved ahead with Revy and the Jagged Blade siblings, the fang leader taking point throught he one person tunnel. It was close and seemingly more well preserved than the wider pathway they had taken to reach it. When Kilith reached a black square that marked the end of the tunnel she paused, then threw out her torch into the awaiting blackness.

The piece of burning wood flew up into the air, revealing that there was no ceiling in sight for the cavern they had reached, and bounced to the ground, spluttering, but continuing to burn, its light showing them a massive room, partially stone, but mostly dirt and tree roots sunk deep into the earth.

It was clearly a storage space: Stone Chests, rotting wooden barrels, chests, and crates were stacked up and slid to the sides. Many containers were tipped over and empty, but others contained moldy clothes, grains, bones, and even semi precious jewels. Kilith's hand gestures signaled for caution as she moved forward, Kazca and Firit spreading out behind her.

"Stolen?" Was Kazca's only question, her common thick with an accent.

"Some of it maybe, others could be legitimate trades from Black Rock." Kilith mused as she opened a wooden chest filled with fine steel weapons.

"Either way this is a good find. Taloba is always in need of more food and good supplies. Take a look around, see if you can uncover anything of use, perhaps some more torches too." Kilith picked up her own dropped one and handed it to Revy in order to aid the human's exploration of the place.

OOCTake a look around, and feel free to find some stuff! As long as its not some long lost ancient super powerful magical weapon, most anything can go. Don't worry, the action's coming soon!

by **Revy Hiroe** on July 5th, 2013, 11:42 pm

The mercenary took the torch and went over to the side of the room with some stone chests. If she were a trader of sorts, she'd use the most sturdy chests to hide the valuable stuff in. So it was obvious she'd head straight for the stone ones. Those were the strongest, but most likely the heaviest too.

Arriving at the first, she lifted the stone cover from it. However, she let it drop almost immediately as a putrid stench came out of it. She hadn't even looked at what was inside, because of that smell. "Bloody hell, what was that for a stench!?", she thought to herself. It'd be best to move on and just ignore that one.
She checked various stone chests, none of them containing stuff that was piking Revy's interest, though she did find one that had a few torches, along with some tents and other survival stuff. Some of it may come in handy for the fang, but for now she just notified Kilith and moved on.

The second last chest was what drew her interest after the woman had opened it. It was loaded with foreign looking weapons. Shapes she had never seen before. And it wasn't that they didn't seem functional. As a matter of fact, the human could envision these weapons to be very deadly. "Kilith, I found another weapon's cache. But they do seem a little strange to me. Haven't seen these shapes before.", she said as she looked through it.

Maybe she should take one or two weapons for usage herself. Not big or anything, just a small backup. And she did find something along her train of thought. A pair of daggers, vicious looking, but still functional. "Hope you don't mind me taking this pair for myself. Been lookin' for a backup weapon for a while now. Never could find anything that had the right look."

ooc :