[Pavi Lake] Chasing The Salt Thief (Part II)

by **Tessabelle** on September 6th, 2013, 10:35 pm

The clay-like object was the victim of this case. Tessabelle's hypothesis was wrong. This was no game, it was real. This pycon must've suffered a lot because she looked frail. Like she had just took her last breath."You poor thing." There was pity in her voice as she cradled the pycon. Tessabelle assumed she needed medical help. This thief probably didn't snatch her up lightly or carried her gently. She seeked medical help.

With a light pat on Talla'does bottom, the horse laid down. Tessabelle untied her cloak and spread it across the ground on the horse's side. Than she put the pycon down and with her two fingers, massaged her small temples. It wasn't medical help but soothing. The Ethfael hummed a tune and closed her own eyes to pray.

"Let this all be over Leth. Under your night sky there should be piece and celebration. Under you night sky, all the negative shall be forgotten. The positives shall live on. Leth let this thief be forgotten and never be heard from again, and this pycon recover from this trauma." Tessabelle sat on the floor next to the pycon, her legs folded behind her as she watched what was happening.

"Please do not kill him. Death isn't suffering, life in prison is." Tessabelle yelled towards the group. There was a tigress kelvic and Myrian. Natural predators, you can't blame them for their nature. It's just who they are." We're outside of Syliras. Turn him in. Hurry, this pycon can't wait for this fight to blow over."

by **Kaie** on September 7th, 2013, 4:00 am

The sound of metal clashing upon metal in a searing hiss rattled the world around them. Her gladius sprung upon the bearded man's scimitar wildly with a harsh snarl from the Myrian. Her eyes burned intensely, a smoldering fire burning within her irises as the rage of battle began to fill her. As soon as his attack was blocked effectively, Kaie jutted her foot out to meet the man's chest. Like a heavy boulder on edge, the unbalanced barbarian rocked hard on the heels of his feet. With wide eyes and flailing arms, he went down onto his back. Kaie was quick after him with her gladius raised to strike the killing blow. Just as she was bringing the sword down into his chest, the man rolled out of the way and scrambled to his feet. When back to his shaky ready position they began again.

Myri's mark began to mark, reminding her of her presence, and that was enough to spur the woman on. She raced forward with her gladius in hand. She jutted her gladius left to be blocked, then right for the same result, finally settling with a jab at his middle. The man practically stumbled all over trying to keep himself in tact. Though he escaped her strikes, her next was more spot on. Fading to his outside, Kaie swung her blade wildly at the side of his neck. Failing to move well enough, her edge still managed to ravage the skin of his dominant shoulder. With a shout, the man spun her way with his weapon raised. He groaned audibly, face a grimacing mess and sweat pooling along her hairline. The Myrian crouched low and snarled at him, lip curling in displeasure at her enemy. He rushed her with a weak jut forward, which she moved off center and knocked away with ease. From her position in her counter, she saw something interesting. Rather, she heard it.

Words. Familiar words coming from a voice she knew. Kaie happened to glance over her victim's shoulder in time to see the Vantha heading toward the woods. Much to the Myrian's surprise it wasn't to hide. Instead she was scaling the damn tree hurriedly like the world was on her shoulders.

What the petch is she...? Whoa!

Half forgetting herself, Kaie narrowly missed a horizontal slash across her body. Lunging in, she resumed battle. Still she couldn't get the distraction of Vanari out of her head. Her mind was racing with questions, unsure the Vantha would ditch out so easily without finding another option. Though not the fighting type, she did seem brave enough. She had come so far to find an acquaintance. What was it she was doing that could possibly be worth climbing up there?

Blades collided nonstop, the harmony only matched with the growls and hisses of the big cats somewhere before her. She could hear their roars. Their snarls and territorial grunts. Once she caught sight of Ardea in battle with the Jaguar but since then she hadn't been able to follow the claws. She hoped for her own sake that the tigress was going to be able to finish the Jaguar. Well...Maybe a little bit for the Kelvic's sake too.

That's when she heard the worried voices and some sort of angry cry, though she couldn't make out the words. They had forced her to look up though and that was enough to captivate the Myrian. There was some rustling in the trees. Her brow furrowed in thought, ducking a sideswipe all the while. She counted the figures on the ground and found only two, with the Ethaefal cradling something small. The Pycon? Unable to shake the vision of rustling branches under unnatural weight, Kaie was far too distracted to continue. Catching a glimpse of a figure within the trees for only a moment before darkness swallowed them again was enough to give her reason to adjust. Without warning, Kaie parried her enemy's blade and raced past him. As she ran by she racked her blade across his back for foot measure. With the man crumpling under the agony, she hustled toward the others.

"Vanari!"

With a snarl she stared up as she ran, trying to find the feet within the canopy. Searching both for a stranger and for Vanari. Finally she found the tree and heard the voices. The Myrian, with no time to spare, glared up the tree and hurled gladius up through the space between branches toward the offender. If she was lucky, it would nail whoever was threatening the Vantha with surprising velocity. If not...Well that would be a really poor way to lose a weapon. Either way she hadn't the time, for the man was back on his feet and storming her way. The Myrian adjusted her hands to her lower back, fingers tapping the handles of her Kukri in ready.

"Dira, guide my blades."

by **Vanari** on September 7th, 2013, 6:25 pm

She was outmatched, and she knew it. There was already a thin trickle of blood running down her left arm from an attempt to shield herself against a glancing blow aimed at her neck. Whoever this fiend was, he was deadly fast, and being horribly unused to moving about in a tree, it was all Vanari could do to avoid being gutted on the spot.

Fortunately, the attacker seemed hampered by dual wielding and relied purely on his agile feet to keep balance as he chased after his prey. Her best chance was to keep moving and hope that an opportunity to either trick him or escape would present itself. For now, her only choice was to evade his swishing blades as long as possible.

Branch after branch she clung, scrambling clumsily and nearly falling through several times. Her daggers had long since been sheathed to free up her hands; her only focus now was moving. Swoosh. She felt something slice the air above her just as she ducked to steady her balance, and wisps of hair fell like dark snow around her. Distracted, she missed the next branch before her and instead almost tumbled to her death. She managed to grab a closer one just in time, but it was thin and would not be able to support her full weight.

She was trapped.

Terror punched her right in the guts, and for a second Vanari could not move. She simply stared up into the darkness as a pair of glistening blades flashed under the dappled moonlight, falling closer and closer by the tick.

Somewhere below, Vanari thought she heard Kaie screaming her name. There was a another flash and a sickening thud. The attacker abruptly halted, disbelief shining in his widening eyes. Then he fell, crashing through the thick canopy and snapping several branches and leaves before fatally hitting the ground.

Vanari sat there, panting in the dark, unsure of whether to believe what had just happened. Numb with shock and relief, she fumbled her way down the tree, missing the last branch and tumbling into a heap on the soft, forest floor.

" "