Closed A Trickster and a Horse (David)

[Spirit Frostfawn]

The White Elk Stables Fall 50th, 513 AV It was just another day working in the stables for Spirit, though for some odd reason it was empty. Lusina was off on other business, and there was only one other groom around, who happened to be working on the other side of the building. So really, it was just her, alone. Well, her and the horses. There was certainly horses in the area, especially since one was staring her in the eye. A grey colt, legs splayed, and utterly refusing to move. There was no reason for the foal to not move, it was just being stubborn. Behind it, where the horse wanted to go, was the much colder outside. Before it: a nice warm stable, with fresh hay. Really, the Frostfawn couldn't understand why in the world the silly animal didn't want to come it. She glared at it, wanting to try and persuade the creature to move, but knew (after lots of experience) it would be utterly hopeless. Instead, she stared it down and pulled. Her feet were digging into the ground, heels trying to find as much purchase as possible on the slippy ground. She leaned back, arms heaving on the halter as she put all of her body weight into pulling. The colt, on the other hand, braced itself with all four limbs and refused to budge. There was a stand off, lasting a mere 10 ticks, but feeling like several chimes. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the horse stopped resisting and moved forward. Despite the fact that this was what Spirit wanted, it was unwelcome none the less. All her momentum moved from pulling to falling on her backside, extracting an "Oof. She glared at the foal, as if this was all its fault (which it was) and stood up. She spent a few moments brushing her back off for pure mockery, before leading the 'humble' creature into its stall. From there, she un-clipped the halter and slipped out, closing the door behind her. The groom then took a few moments to catch her breath, though she hadn't really been exercising. Some horses were really just a pain... such a pain. Still, she had to keep working... a few of the stalls needed fresh fodder. Before she could begin this task, however, her ears picked up the sound of running feet. Curious, she straightened and headed over to the entrance way, where she arrived just in time to see a man jog over, out of breath. "Ah... you.... are you good with horses?" he asked, hands on knees and panting. Spirit nodded in answer. She was good with most animals, and had been working as a groom for about a season and a half. And she had some decent medical training to boot. "Good... My horse... tripped over.. something, I'm not quite sure... he fell over and I just managed to get off without breaking my leg. I think he needs help.." He gave the girl a pained look, and the Frostfawn's eyes widened. "Tripping's never good! I'll see what I can do to help... lead the way!" The man nodded and set off in the direction he came from. The groom jogged after him, her boots slipping in the snow, making the movements harder. Even starting was taking it a little bit out of her, and she realized she wasn't much of a runner. Still, Spirit forced herself to keep up with the horse owner, worrying about the state of his horse as she did.

[David Arnim]

David was walking to the main gate of Avanthal with a client of his walking by his side. The client was a repeat customer who enjoyed the protection that David offered while venturing out into the tundra. It had been a good day of work and David was about ready to ether head home or go to a tavern. His sides where still slightly sore from the encounter with the two bandits a few days ago, but it wasn't anything he couldn't ignore. Trudging through the snow the tow of them approached the main gate of Avanthal. David was glad that they hadn't been bothered by bandits or any wild animals during the job. He still hadn't figured out who the Ice Lion was but he did know that he sounded familiar, which in David's eyes could not mean anything good. He would have done some research but his job comes first. Walking through the gate David shakes hands with his client who smiles."Stay safe now, and find me if you ever want to head out into the tundra again." he said to his client who begins to walk off through the snow. David watches her leave before thinking whether he should head home or go to his favorite tavern.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

After only a few chimes of their jog Spirit stopped, hands on knees, gasping for breath. She was NOT a good runner, and was amazed at the man's endurance. "Five tick break... I'm not as good a runner as you are" she joked, sending a quick grin up to the guy. He was bouncing on his toes, and, she just noticed, dressed in remarkably warm clothing. Still, he looked like he was trying to keep warm, which was odd. What caught her eye was that he looked slightly nervous and anxious. It was probably about his horse, but still... she couldn't shake the feeling he was overreacting a little bit. Or maybe he wasn't. Only he knew what situation his horse was in... maybe they were close... She shook her head, deciding to focus on getting there. There wasn't really much unusual about this, and she needed to reach that horse... The Frostfawn straightened and nodded, and the two set off at their slow job again in the direction of the gates. Along the way, she passed a man she vaguely recognized, though couldn't place where exactly she knew him from. While wondering about this, she was able to ignore her exhaustion a little more. When she focused on reality however, they were already out of the gates and she was close to collapsing. "Hey.... can we take... another break? I'm... exhausted" she called to him, breathing heavily. All she got in return was a shake of the man's head, and "We're nearly there!" She grunted in answer, not having enough energy to say anymore. True to her guide's word, they stopped only a chime later, though it was a long and antagonizing one. "The horse is over there" he said, slowing to a walk and pointing ahead. In front of them was a standing white horse with a drooping head. There was another man there as well, holding the reins in one hand and stroking the creature's neck with a... stump. Spirit stared at this odd disfigurement, but still stumbled forward to look into the animal's face. After a few moments of investigation, going over the mare's entire body, she frowned, confused. Though she wasn't an expert, there was no sign of an injury. And if the horse had fallen -she glanced at the fresh snow at their feet - there would be snow... right? "Uhhh... your horse is fine" It was a good thing, but still seemed odd... especially after how worried her guide had been earlier. She looked up at them, turning around, a question in her voice. When she looked behind however, she stopped, and froze, though for a quite sensible reason. There was a sword at her throat. The two men stood there threateningly, trapping her beside the horse. Her guide was holding a bundle of rope, and the one handed man a short sword resting at her neck. The girl gulped, and, though she rarely did so, began swearing mentally to herself over and over. She was in a VERY bad situation. Very bad indeed. Her mind raced. They'd just passed two Icewatch guards and their mounts at the gates, right? They would help... how would they know? Maybe if she screamed...? Unconsciously, she opened her mouth to scream, but halted immediately as she felt a sharp point dig into her skin. Instead, she squeaked as the swordsman stated "Don't scream." He was blunt and cold, and Spirit gave a barely noticeable nod in reply, afraid that if she moved, the blade would... "Tie her up." the one-handed man continued, and his companion wordlessly began to tightly wrap up the girl in the stiff cord. By now, the Frostfawn was frozen, her body rigid and her mind passing over all the possible problems with this. All the worst situations. She'd never been this frightened before... even with the wolves last season, she'd been able to move, defend herself, and she'd had help. And it was two wolves, armed with teeth. This was two men, armed with blades. However, all her previous exhaustion was ignored, replaced with adrenaline... but nothing to use it on. She was practically helpless now, unable to move her limbs, not just because of the tight binds. The two men lifted her onto the horse like a ragdoll and set off at a walking pace, no conversation between them. OOCI feel cliche. So cliche. And I kept trying to make them GIGGLE. I've really been spending too much time in Nyka

[David Arnim]

David was about to head home when he noticed two familiar people run past him. One he recognized as the woman who had helped heal him before, and the other he believed to be a bandit. He watched then leave through the gate and knew that what ever involved the bandit could not be good. He stood there in the snow only for a moment before following the two of them. Exiting through the gate he adjusted his great helm and started to pursue. His armor did not help him in his pursuit and weighed him down, not to mention the snow was slowing him down as well. Even though he was being slowed by multiple factors he still managed to keep them in sight. Normally he wouldn't be doing something like this, but he felt he owed her for helping heal him and that was reason enough. Catching his breath for a moment he saw what had happened. Standing up straight he drew his long sword and began his approach. He looked over the two of them and immediately recognized the one with the stump where his hand once was. He was ready for a fight, and ready to end the two bandits that ignored is previous warnings. David was glad to have both bandits in sight unlike last time."Why if it isn't the chest bandit !" he said approaching with his sword raised."What losing your hand and partner wasn't a good enough lesson ?" he asked as he stepped through the tundra snow."I see you moved up from stealing chests to kidnapping." he said looking at Spirit for a brief moment."I suggest you run off before I have to teach another lesson." he said trying to sound intimidating to the two bandits with a slightly lower voice.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit had slowly been 'warming' herself up, trying to calm her mind down and think over what was happening. The ropes were tight, and she couldn't figure out how to undo them... and even after that, getting off the horse... would she be able to outrun them? If only Wind was here! Or Silver... or Apple... or Fog... well, not Fog. They would certainly be able to help, like Wind with the wolves. Despite his age, he was still going strong... she hoped. Her wrists were tied together and behind her back, and her arms were pinned to her chest by more of the cord. Her ankles and calves were also wrapped up, so it was more like she had one foot, rather than two. With that on... running would be nearly impossible. Mentally she groaned, but decided to look for positives. She could still inchworm... and her feet were in a position to easily kick the horse's side if need be... though she hated to do that. They were also able to hit the one handed man in the face, if he was close enough... and she was lucky enough. She thought over what she could feel, wondering how it could come off. Sight was mostly useless, as she was face down into a horsey side. She could look ahead and behind, but up hurt her neck too much. She wriggled her shoulders slightly, and realized that it was possible -if she figured out how- to shuffle the ropes up around her neck, where they'd be loose. Ignoring what would happen if her captors noticed, the Frostfawn began to move her shoulders up and down, attempting to pull them up. She did succeed, moving them barely an inch, but she stopped as soon as she had started. It was pulling her hands -and her arms- upwards into an awkward and painful position. She squeaked in pain at this, the position hurting, but all she got was a chuckle from the guide-man. It seemed to be that the bindings around her wrists were attached to those around her biceps... so if one move up... so did the other. She groaned mentally, just wishing some one would come, when her wish came true. A man in metal, from what she could see, came striding up with a sword in hand. Maybe he was an Icewatch guard! But... it was that man again, the familiar one. Spirit frowned at this, but he still seemed like she was trying to help her, so that was good. As he began threatening the bandits, she grunted humorlessly. "Finally" she muttered to herself, but realized it wasn't the familiar man's fault. It just felt good to blame some one She began mentally searching for ways to get off the horse. It didn't seem like she was tied on - she didn't remember the men doing that anyways. Also, the one handed man at her back had moved away, towards his attacker, weapon drawn. That left an opening behind her... maybe she could get herself off the horse? Preparing herself, Spirit shoved her upper body up and towards her feet, using as much momentum as she could. Luckily it worked on the first try, and she was sent sailing backwards to land heavily on the ground. The snow smothered her noise, and though she let out a light grunt, she tried to make it as quiet as possible. From there, she began awkwardly inchworming herself away from the trio, and maybe hide somewhere for a while. As she moved, she desperately hoped her attackers wouldn't notice...

[David Arnim]

David watched the one handed man approach him with sword drawn."I see that you are ether very brave, or very stupid." he said with a chuckle. It was then he noticed that Spirit was escaping. David then quickly turned his attention back to the one handed man."Tell me, what makes you think that you can win this time ? Last time we fought you had both numbers and surprise as an advantage yet you still lost." he said in a confident tone as he got into a battle ready stance. David knew that he needed to hold both bandits attention."So, come at me." he said tightening the grip on his shield. He would wait for the bandits to make the first move, for he already knew how he would counter."That is unless you run away, for if you choose to fight I will not be letting you go this time." he said in a dead serious tone. The one handed bandit ignored his warnings obviously wanting revenge on David. The one handed bandit ran up to David and thrust is sword forward towards his abdomen. David quickly blocked with his large wooden shields before bashing the one handed bandit with it. After bashing the bandit with his shield he immediately swing his long sword at the one handed bandit's neck. The bandit quickly blocked using his short sword but David bashed him with his shield once more. The one handed bandit loses his footing at this point and falls down. David goes to run the now fallen down bandit through with his longsword but the one handed bandit quickly rolls out of the way and swings at David's legs with his short sword. David manages to hop back and dodges the attack. David quickly takes a quick step forward and knocks the short sword out of the one handed bandit's hand with a quick swing.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

While the two men fought, the second bandit took the moment to step back, sure his friend could handle the mercenary. Instead, he checked up on their prisoner, glancing at the horse beside him. When he noticed the empty saddle, he froze, and growled, beginning to search around for the missing Vantha. It didn't take him long to find Spirit, her black curls swishing as she shuffled herself away from the fight. Her previous guide darted around the horse and straight in her direction, catching up with his quarry in moments. Spirit was frantic by now, knowing she wouldn't be able to outrun the bandit, but trying desperately anyways. The cold snow on her skin was beginning to chill her, despite the power of her gnosis. The exhaustion of the whole event was starting to wear away her energy, and fear was beginning to sink in even more. The man stooped down and grabbed her hair, dragging upwards mercilessly. The Frostfawn screeched in pain, but a quick slap to the face stopped her noise. Instead the groom let herself be dragged back towards the scuffle, her eyes tearing from the pain in her scalp and face. When they were close enough, the bandit drew one of his knives and held it to the girl's throat, grinning malevolently. "Hey!" he yelled, to get the fighters' attentions. "One more move and I'll cut, armor man" He pressed the blade deeper into Spirit's neck, drawing blood. She herself was panicking, eyes wide in terror. What if the swordsman didn't stop? She'd die! He wouldn't let them do that... right? Right? She had no idea. But if he gave in... the bandits would probably take both of them... and that would be terrible. Who knew what would happen then. But... they would still have a chance to escape from wherever they were going. And that was better than just... dying, right? The Frostfawn tried to persuade herself that this was all an act, that her guide wouldn't actually kill her. But she couldn't shake off the merciless look in his eyes. From what she'd seen... he wasn't above that. Instead, she looked straight at the armored man and pleaded with her eyes. Whatever he did... she just hoped he wouldn't let her die. OOCPetch. My character's life is in your hands. Well, whatever you do... do what David would do. If he would let Spirit die... then so be it. Merp... I'm so stupid for getting her into this situation

[David Arnim]

David placed his foot right on the chest of the one handed bandit and put the tip of the long sword to his neck."You cut her and your friend here dies painfully and slow." he said in a low voice while looking at the bandit holding Spirit. The one handed bandit looked at his comrade obviously believing that David would do as he said."So, how about we come to an agreement ?" he asked as blood rose from where the tip of his long sword met the skin of the one handed bandit. David didn't say anything for a moment thinking of something that could work."You let her go and I let you both live." he said making sure the bandit could see his eyes through the slits in his great helm."Because if you kill her I kill both you and your friend here." he said with almost a growl in his voice."You know me to keep my word from past experiences." he said not breaking eye contact for one moment while motions towards the stump on the one handed bandits arm. David kept the tip of his long sword firmly to the one handed neck."So, how about it ?" he asked wanting an answer."Before you answer remember that slitting her throat will certainly end in both your deaths." he said coldly all while keeping eye contact.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

The bandit snorted at this. "So basically you want to make a trade?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Despite the critical situation, he seemed confident and calm. "And if we go our separate ways- You'll send the Icewatch swarming all over us. That's something I DON'T want to happen. So I could simply kill the girl, mount my horse and ride away free. You'd never catch me, in armor and on foot." The man nodded, seemingly having come to his own conclusion. He knew he was in an advantage here, with really nothing to lose. Apparently he didn't care too much for his friend's death, and by the look in the one-handed man's face: he didn't care either. If the Icewatch caught them, it would mean the deaths of more than one of their friends, plus probably majority of their imprisonment. "So, your choice. Drop your sword and stand down, or she dies and I get away." He shrugged, letting the mercenary make his own choice. OOCOk... sorry for the short post, and there wasn't much I could do for Spirit... so this was basically all the bandit. The choices, as the guy said: Spirit dies, he gets away, thread ends (probably). OR Both of them get captured, with the possibility of future enslavement if they don't get out in time... Lovely, isn't it This is basically my fault for making things a little too serious... I was just trying to make it realistic. Remember... do what David would do... I honestly don't mind if Spirit dies, if it stays logical to the character... because if she doesn't, then they're both screwing themselves over (possibly)

[David Arnim]

David chuckled upon hearing that the man think he could get away."I don't think you understand what kind of person I am." he said before stabbing the one handed bandit in the throat and letting him slowly bleed out onto the snow."If you slit her throat you wont even reach your horse." he said raising his long sword as it dripped with blood."Killing her would still bring the Ice Watch after you, except I would also be after you." he said knowing that surrendering was not an options for him."So pick your poison." he said getting ready to sprint forward if he followed through with his threat.