Closed [Guest ST][Shiress] Without a Quicker Blood

[Accolade]

Shiress

It wouldn't be a Knight who saved her, but an unlikely source. Lona looked to Shiress and Hetty and she saw her past, what she used to be and her future, with the bitterness to come. Lona would fight both fates and she rebelled with all of her might. She wouldn't become either of them and she would fight it to the bitter end. It was she who appeared behind Hetty and dug her blade deep into the old woman's back.

There was a horrific gurgled cry coupled with blood spitting from her mouth as she leaned forward and fell to the side of Shiress. Lona stood breathing calmly, a new resolve growing within her. She would make her own way in the world and the change started here.

Elijah spun around at the cry and screamed in rage as he saw what Lona had done. "You traitorous bitch! I'm gonna kill you!" He stormed back towards Lona and Shiress, forgetting about Orion in his blind rage. Lona was ready and waiting and as soon as he was in rage she attacked and their duel began. Lona struck as Elijah blocked, and blocked with Elijah's next attacked. They fought fiercely, knowing that this was to the death.

Hadyen

Anpeff had tried his best, but he too was tired, and after his long fall, left him as less than a man than he already was. He looked over at the woman next to him, she was in bad shape to say the least, but she wasn't so gone that she couldn't speak. He was still in aw that Lona just left him with this woman, but he had to do something now.

"Water?" He Sitting up, he fetched his water skin from his quiver and opened the top. It was only half full, but he hoped it was enough to help. "Here drink." the boy said pushing the mouth of the container against her lips. "Alright, now take it slow and lets try this again Come on, I don't have all night." He would give her time to drink, but once she was done, it was attempt 2 at getting on the horse.

Orion

The squire had his hands full with Nall, who was too busy enjoying himself to look back and notice the commotion going on with Lona and the others. His attacks were strong and timed, the style of a man who had seem battle before. He swung at Orion, and took an arrogant shot with his elbow that met with the squires shield. Nall groaned in pain as he stepped back and took another swing at Orion.

The man was confident, he knew that he could best Orion and that made him act out. Nall charged in with a fluid swing that came down so hard and swiftly that one could hear the blade sing. But along with the attack he left his back open, a possible fatal mistake.

[Shiress]

Shiress' head fell to the side, tears streaming from the corner of her eyes. She still fought with all she had to hold the blade from sinking deeper into her flesh, but her arms began to weaken as did any will to continue to fight. She was exhausted, in pain, and near ready to succumb.

She was amazed of the things running through her mind as she was faced with her own mortality. Things she'd done, wished she wouldn't have done but mostly, those things she wished she could have done. The friends she had, the ones she didn't. Those lost. It all ran through her mind in the span of an instant - a single thought - an amalgamation of confused wishes, wants and regrets. Each were interpreted into  abstract could have versus will do - if given the opportunity. An plethora of thought processes in less than a tick.

Sadly, this had happened to Shiress before, in these same woods, just a season earlier, the wound, that nearly drained her blood as well as her life from her, still a sensitive, new scar. Then, She lay naked, clinging to life by thin strings of will, mind battling body to survive the night. Now a new battle ensues.

Just as Shiress' arms would fail, her attacker was knocked away, but Shiress lay motionless, her eyes open in a blank, unfocused stare. Her arms fall to her side, her chest begins to rise and fall rapidly as she watched the hilt of the dagger move in unison with her breaths, panic turning the expression on her face as her hand glides across her stomach to gently touch the blade protruding from her chest. Her face twisted in pain, neck arching, as she slid the blade from her skin and dropped it by her side.

Her fingertips ran hesitantly across the wound, her eyes widening as she realized the blade had pierced the brand, the slave's brand Elijah Jordan staked his claim with. But his claim had been severed, cut from her flesh. She lifted her right hand and turned her wrist. The only mark remaining on her body, her own name. Her body began to tremble as her will to fight and live surged once more.

Brought aware of her surrounding's by clanging metal erupting about her Shiress' eyes struggled to focus. The hazy silhouette of two figures, engaging each other in a battle, slowly emerged in the pale moonlight. One she knew, by his foul, yet familiar voice, to be Jordan. Her hand blindly found the dagger lying by her side, fingers wrapping tightly around its hilt as she pushed and pulled, twisting her injured body slowly from the ground, sanguine fluid flowing freely from the dagger wound, trailing down her sparsely covered chest as she straightened herself.

She bounded toward his presented back, dagger raised and position just above her head, face contorted in a mixture of aggression, rage and vengeance. Despite the pain pulsing throughout her body Shiress' eyes were bright with intention and focus. Her stroke fell, engaged by the weight of pure abhorrence, between the man's shoulders. The steel blade ripped through flesh stopping only as the hilt met resistance. Jordan's head flung back, his mouth agape in a silent scream as his arms flailed outward and his sword plummeted to the ground. His body lingered, frozen in shock before collapsing face down.

Coming to her hands and knees, she crawled across the feverish body of her master. There was a wild look about her eyes as she ripped the blade from his flesh and leaned down across his back to bring her lips close to his ear. She spoke with an evil, malicious tone. "Bow now before Rhysol as you once forced me to bow before you. The blade rose above her head again as she straightened, one hand meeting the other as the stroke fell and steel slammed into the man's back.

Again and again she stabbed him, each stroke draining her own strength until her body, at last, relented and Shiress fell back against the cold earth, exhausted and utterly spent. Green eyes glazed and locked in a blank stare up through the canopy of the forest, no thoughts, no emotion now, it was done. She was done. Tears began to fall and trail downward across her temples as she was now ready to meet with the calm of the blackness that beckoned her. Shiress was ready to let go and rest now, if not eternally.



OOCPermission to murderize given by Acco

[Hadyn Skellig]

He was rushing her. Why was he rushing her? the water sloshed from the skin to her lips, each swallow a labor as she tried to imbibe more than was possible. But gods did it taste divine. His words meant nothing to her, the sweet silvery liquid cooling her throat and giving her pause to close her eyes. Finally her body had its fill and the woman rested, a small trickle of water sliding from the corner of her lips from the excess she'd tried to swallow.

She fell back, taking a moment to breathe but the supposed doctor was ready to try throwing her on the horse. He was moving her, pulling and pushing her to ascend the saddle. Despite the refreshing and restorative powers of the water Hadyn couldn't quite figure out how to help him. Her muscles were slack but it didn't stop her from yelping in pain as the lad managed to rough her bruised ribs.

"The petch kind of doctor are you?" she rasped, fingers clawing around the leather to keep from collapsing again.

[Orion Michaels]

It seemed that Orion would have to accept his death without much protest. The fact of the matter was simple.  He was in over his head because he drunkenly agreed to follow a woman that was even more vulgar than he. It was supposed to be medical work, but instead he was fighting for his life. Life was just a big steaming pile of shyke sometimes. 

Orion jerked his shield back and forth as the bandit attempted to overwhelm him with powerful blow after powerful blow. He couldn't deflect them, he couldn't send them aside. Every single perfect sliced impacted squarely with his shield, and he wouldn't be able to do anything but continue to give up ground. Orion tried futilely to stab forward, his arm lunging forward, bringing the tip of the long sword wobbling towards the man's chest. Nall effortlessly swatted his sword aside as he continued his assault. 

Orion continued to shift his shield up and down, left and right as Nall's onslaught began to wear him down. Orion hadn't even been a squire for a full season. He didn't have the experience or the endurance needed to keep going on much longer. Each of his steps were getting progressively slower, and his reaction time was worse and worse. When the first kiss of steel nicked him between one of the plates weak points, he knew he was finished. Nall followed up with his elbow to Orion's shield, and while it sent pain running through the bandit's arm, it also sent the unbalanced squire tumbling down to the ground.

Nall gleefully raised his weapon over his head and brought it down smoothly upon Orion, who held his shield up defensively, grunting as each dominant swing crashed down upon him. He wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer at this rate.

[Accolade]

Shiress

Lona was surprised as the sudden change, Elijah's eyes widen and he spat blood out. At first she didn't know what happened until he turned around and she saw the blade in his back. That's when she saw Shiress, empowered, strong and taking her fate into her own hands. It seemed that she wasn't the only one who had made a hard decision that day.

Lona stood in silence as she watched Shiress reclaim her life, and she knew then that she had made the right choice. It was almost over and with the head of the snake cut off, the rest would soon wither away. Hetty laid on her side, watching it all with a mixer of emotions, tears streamed from her eyes and drained down into the grass as she choked and laughed.

"You..you there..bitch." she called to Shiress.

"You think you're something? You are nothing, a pig, worthless. I'll praise the day when your rotting corpses goes into the ground and the world celebrates."

She was a pitiful woman, had lived a harsh life and made all the very wrong choices in the end. She was now alone and scared and sought to lash out in any way that she could.

Hadyn

"I'm not a doctor, I'm a hunter." Anpeff snapped back. He was sick of the whole thing, and out of it all, nothing brought him any closer to being with the one that he cared for. Lona had run off and left him with this woman who looked to bite the big one at any moment, and he didn't know what to do. Finally, he just moved, roughly shoving Hadyn up and onto the horse, before he claimed on behind her. "Sit still, will ya?" He started off into a gallop, racing towards the fight scene. The boy was shocked at what he saw and none of it made sense.

Orion

While the doctor-turned squire, battled for his life. He and Nall would get a distraction in the form of a horse riding up with Anpeff and Hadyn. The horse darted very closely to them and the two would have to dive out of the way to avoid being hit. Lona moved at the same time, deciding to leave Shiress and Hetty to help Orion finish the nightmare once and for all. After recovering Nall turned to face Orion again and advanced on him with a viscous flurry with Lona coming in behind him. But what would happen?

[Shiress]

The sky above where Shiress lay roiled with darkness, clouds of black slithering in thin shreds amassing across her vision, but as she lay staring into the night the clouds thinned and moved away and slowly the veiled darkness became dotted with stars. One by one they emerged as a pulsing life beyond the darkness.This spoke to Shiress as audible words in her mind.

Dont give up! There is life beyond the darkness after all evil has cleared.


Slowly, Shiress began to stir, she began herself to emerge from the numbness of fear and relent. Lifting to her side she glanced around, teeth gritting as the pain in her chest worsened with movement. Pressing the palm of her hand against the wound in her chest she crawled slowly to her master's side, extended her trembling hand and pressed her fingertips against his nose and lips, a mixture of satisfaction and affliction settling on her blood streaked face when she realized there was no life left in the man. Her eyes closed and the same hand that touched her master's lips covered her own, but before the emotion welling within her surfaced, the prone figure beside her spoke.

"You think you're something? You are nothing, a pig, worthless. I'll praise the day when your rotting corps goes into the ground and the world celebrates."

She knew those words, having heard them uttered in the same bitter, evil way before. The girl knew them to be Elijah Jordan's choice poison. The venomous words spat by the woman soared like acid though the girls veins, causing green eyes to spark and narrow with anger "You speak the words of a dead man" Shiress hissed, her gaze slicing the air between her and the woman. She lifted herself slowly, pulling Elijah's sword from the ground, swaying dizzily, as she straightened herself "they mean nothing to me now, just as you mean nothing." she stepped forward staring disgustedly at the pathetic female and pressed the blade against her neck "Your master awaits you."

But before the blade would pierce the woman's flesh the sound of a horse darting from the treeline startled Shiress, causing her to stumble with a backwards step. Confused and disoriented, the girl stepped forward, disregarding the woman and leaving her to her own demise. Tightening her fingers around the hilt of the sword, she had made her mind up: she wanted this to end, she wanted to go home and would fight through what ever she had to to get there.
SorryMy apologies for a horrible post, but I needed to get something up.

[Hadyn Skellig]

I hate this, Hadyn thought as she was rudely thrown back on the horse. She was delirious - a state she was somewhat familiar with considering the number of times she'd had one too many at the tavern. But this delirium was significantly more intrusive and there was no haze of alcohol to soften the blow. Gripping whatever her fingers could curl around the woman managed to stay atop the horse as her new friend the hunter vaulted up behind her. Wait... Hunter...?

"The fuck y'mean you're a hunt-aaahhhh" and they were off again. The poor horse. They were tearing through the forest like Dira was on their heels, the weaponsmith's head lolling to the side occasionally. For all her skill in riding the woman was completely useless. She bounced and thudded atop the saddle. Were it not for Anpeff behind her steering the beast she'd have toppled off by now.

Everything was blurring together. The abduction, darkness, Shiress, the forest, a camp, another abduction, a hunting doctor, the horse. It was all the same to the brunette as the steed came to an unsteady halt. Looking up from where she'd been hunkered over the animal's neck the woman had an equally perplexed if not overly nauseated expression as she stared at the scene before her. Her companion dismounted, leaving her half hanging out of the saddle. Figures and faces blurred before her. Was that Shiress? who was the large fellow attacking the Knight? there was a Knight? where'd he come from? Wasn't that the bitch who "rescued" her?

Hadyn leaned against the horse's neck again, staring at it all sideways. That Knight looked awfully familiar. Was it? no... how could that be possible? Blue eyes. Dark hair. That stupid handsome face. Some god or goddess must really get off on this kind of shyke.

"Orino," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around the skinny horse's neck to stay astride. Where was Shiress? turning her head to the other side, her cheek resting against coarse unbrushed mane the woman squinted to find her friend. Was that her? did she have a sword? that wasn't good. She needed help.

Hadyn tightened her grip around the animal's neck as she dragged one leg over the back of the saddle, moaning loudly as her ribs protested. Gravity pulled her lower body downward as her feet touched the ground, her upper body still enveloping the horse. Petch.

"I'm comin, Sheersh. Sword's no grrof fur yem," she groaned. Delirium had a complete hold on her. But she'd lost Shiress. She'd dismounted on the wrong side. Would this nightmare never end?

[Orion Michaels]

What else but a horse would save my sorry ass?

A creature Orion despised more than anything else on the plant was the reason he would live. He'd just absorbed another crushing blow from Nall, the powerful swing slamming down against his shield once again, when the horse rode towards them. It took everything Orion had to roll out of the way and not be trampled beneath the hooves. Why is he here? That man was ready to fight him moments before. There was already enough trouble and he didn't need another enemy making an appearance. 

He wouldn't have time to worry about Anpeff, instead changing his attention back to Nall. It was lucky that the horse had split them as it had because it gave Orion the time he needed to scramble back to his feet, longsword and shield ready once again. Nall was furious, and just as Orion got to his feet, a flash of steel was sent the squire's way. Once again he was on the defensive, giving ground to the aggressive fighter. Orion tried to poke out with his weapon, thrusting defensively from behind the relative safety of his guard. Nall knocked each attack aside forcefully, closing in on his prey. 

As he raised his weapon to try and finish off his foe, Nall caught a glimpse of Lona, the traitorous bitch. Shifting his hips around, he swung to meet her attack, their blades meeting in a loud clash. "I'll kill you all," he growled, pushing against the gruff woman. Orion, seeing an opportunity to finally end this struggle, lashed out feebly at the superior fighter.

Leaning forward and down, Orion delivered a  cross body, back handed slash with his blade, aimed at Nall's thighs. Engaged with another foe, there was little Nall could do. While the swing was far from solid or skillful, it had enough force and was with a sharp enough blade to do the damage needed. Biting steel tore through clothing, skin, and flesh. The blade slashed through his hamstring on his left leg, instantly dropping the thug to his other knee and then to the ground as he howled out in pain. "Get his weapon," he commanded Lona, heavy, laboring breaths escaping from the squire's mouth. He burned all over from the test to his ability to fight. Twice he'd been in a life and death, and twice he'd come out relatively unscathed. 

Gods I hope this is over. 

Orion turned his attention to the rest of the group. One woman was lying on the ground, another was bleeding and held a sword, and a third was stumbling around like she was drunk. If Orion didn't know any better, he'd have thought this was a party gone bad. Gathering himself, the squire moved cautiously towards the most dangerous of the group; the woman swinging around a sword who had no idea what she was doing. Anpeff seemed content to sit upon the horse, after all. "Don't let her run off," he ordered the hunter, motioning his blade towards Hadyn.  It seemed everyone who was involved in this mess had finally gathered in a central area. The last thing he needed was to have to search the woods for any of them.

Turning his attention to Shiress, he lowered his voice to a soft, calm tone. "Hey, everything is okay now, whatever this was. No more fighting, no more yelling, no more hurting. Just put down the sword and we can set on about getting back to the city." He just wanted it to be over. Just bells before he was happily drinking himself stupid in the White Swan, and how he was cold, dirty, and in pain. Clearly he'd gotten himself into something a lot bigger than he'd expected. "We'll get you stitched up and warmed up by a fire; more importantly, well get you out of the woods. Just..no more fighting."

He was careful with his words. If there was one thing he'd learned it was that sometimes people with no idea how to fight could accidentally be more dangerous that someone who sort of knew how to fight. He'd been on both ends of that reality in the training grounds. Only she held a blade of steel, not one of wood. A mistake here would leave him with worse than a scrape or a splinter.

[Accolade]

It had been a nightmare for all three of them, more so for Shiress and Hadyn than for Orion who was thinking selfishly like always. However the old squire had shown strength on this night, and even though he complained the whole way, he stuck it out in the end and Sylir had been watching. For a quick second Orion might feel a warm hand on his shoulder, but if the Squire would turn around he wouldn't see anyone there..but someone had been watching, the divine always were.

The battle was over now, and their foes had all fallen, but the three weren't done just yet. As Shiress wandered around, her mind cloaked in darkness and her will to survive growing into something more fierce. She might find, that if she thought it over another time, that the pain was almost stimulating, and had willed her to do things she never thought she could. And the feeling that she had now, it was more than fighting to see another day it was deeper..darker. The woman's mind was a mess, and in the future she wouldn't be able to say if it was real or not. But in the distance, she would hear the sound of laughter, an energetic laugh that one might expect of a teenage girl.

Anpeff had been confused the whole time, and at first didn't pay attention to the woman who wandered off in the wrong direction. When he finally got his thoughts together he was going to aid Lona, until Orion ordered him to chase the other woman. Luckily she hadn't gotten far and he was able to catch her and bring her back. Once all the loose and wandering pieces were collected, they had a mess to clean up. Shiress and Hadyn both needed medical help. They could be treated by the fire, or back in the city if the good doctor thought the two would last.

Whatever the decision, Orion had two wounded women to treat, and Lona and Anpeff (mostly Lona) had gathered up Nall and Hetty. Both were injured and rendered weaponless, but neither was dead yet. Hetty was closer to death than Nall, but it would be up to the group to decide what to do with them. Anpeff had already decided that he would head back to the city and try and find another way to get what he needed, assuming Orion didn't hall him in. Lona wanted to get away, and wander the other side of the world where she wasn't known and could start anew. That was also if Orion didn't hall her in, but if he tried, the squire would have a fight on his hands and no one to help him this time. In the end, it depended on what Shiress, Orion, and Hadyn wanted to do....or not to do.

OOCAlright guys, you all stuck it through and we're at the end. Woot! I'll leave the exit/end up to you all. Do with Nall and Hetty what you will, post your last and we're done!

[Shiress]

Nothing in Shiress' wildest imagination could have guessed at the event's of this one night. Every emotion that a human can feel had surfaced and overwhelmed the girl time and time again. Just within these last few bells she had been overcome with fear, hatred, bitterness, determination, courage, dread, acceptance, all lost and found again and again throughout the night. It had left her drained of feeling, unable to fill empty emotion with nothing more than thoughtless action. She had never been in this way before, not even during her enslavement had she lost control of herself and thoughts. She was nothing more than a physical void.

Shiress stumbled forward, the sword held by her side was heavy and awkward in her grip, it's sharp tip scrubbed hard against the earth as she stepped and swayed. The sound of approaching footsteps caused her body to go rigid, lazy green eyes trailed along the forest floor to rest on the boots before her. She stood with a tilt to her body. Her long, dark hair, matted and tangled with blood, stuck to her bruised and swollen, face, loose strands around her mouth followed each short, ragged breath, being sucked in and blown out between her dry, bloody lips. Crimson Streaked skin peered out from a mere covering of canvas around her body and dark blue splotches spread out beneath her skin where her body was assaulted. She stood weak and trembling.

Slowly, her blank stare moved upward and rested on the man's lips as he spoke. His voice nor his face was known to her. Just over a season earlier her lips explored every inch of this man's body and he now stood a stranger before her. She pushed through the confusion, trying to remember him, but no further than her swaying where she stood would her thoughts go. She pondered his words for a moment, comprehending only "back to the city." These words caused her fingers to tighten around the hilt of the sword with an attempt to swing the weapon around, but she had no strength to lift it from the ground and only stumbled slightly "I will not go back to Sunberth!" she snarled, her voice barely audible, fingers grabbing blindly, angrily at the man's chest. "He's dead" a slight hint of a satisfied grin parted the girls lips further as green eyes slid upward, locking in a wild gaze with a the familiar blue that looked down on her "I killed my master.." she admitted, stepping and stumbling backwards, her voice trailing off with a blink as she attempted to focus. "Who are you? I know you, I know those eyes.

Shiress stared blankly into Orion's face for a long while before she turned with a gasp. Startled and on edge again, her eyes darting frantically around the area for an unseen threat "Why are you laughing at me? she yelled, her voice cracking with exhaustion "I'll kill you!" Her body twisted and jerked as she attempted to swing the heavy blade once again, but the sudden movement caught in her side as a stab of pain and a fresh trail of blood poured from her wounded chest.

Shiress fell to her knees, silent, her body defeated, gaze searching helplessly for the man before her. She remembered him now, possibly even comforted knowing he was here and could help her. "Orion" she pleaded, her voice barely a whisper "Please, just take me to Syliras. I just want to go home."

Shiress knew no more this night


Thank You!This is my dramatic exit Gotta go out with a bang, right? I want to thank each and everyone of you for your time spent on this thread with me. It's definitely been an interesting journey and again, thank you so very much!!