The Strong Survive (Kaie)

[Wrenmae]

Fall 17, 513 AV

He was being followed.

It wasn't just a feeling, the creeping paranoia that comes when eyes linger too long upon ones shoulders. He'd seen the signs. There was a trail here, pushed by a few horses perhaps hours or days before. Following a river away from Ravok toward Syliras, he had opted to take a path where the foliage was not so thick around his horse. But, of course, profiting men with sharp minds and looser morals chose this sort of place for the most likely location of a traveler. As Wren traveled alone, he no doubt had their undivided attention.


But they wouldn't strike now, no, not while it still afforded them some risk. They would wait till he slept tonight to slink into his campsite, slit his throat, and take this things. Wren almost wheeled the horse around to go back the way he came, but then he'd be lost. The Wildlands weren't a well mapped place. The trees themselves seemed to move of their own volition, hemming him in wherever he turned.

No...he would not run from this. More than likely the brigands would know the Wildlands better, be able to correct his course from aimless circles. But of course, they would need to come close enough for him to convince them...and if they came with their fangs bared, he'd send one or two of them to Dira first...if only to prove his willingness to survive.

He paused in a glade beside the brook, taking down his packs from the horse and tying the creature to a tree. Pitching the tent was a process he knew almost as habit now, laying his things out inside before pausing at the brook edge to peer into the clear water. Fish swam there, leading their thoughtless lives in complete serenity.

"Fish should be food," he whispered to the water, lulling the trout that swam slowly beneath the water a complete and utter oblivion. They did not fear his hand when it reached around them, and they did not struggle as he pulled them form the stream.

Laying them out on the ground, he drew his blade and swiftly slit their stomachs, pulling out the guts in the way and fashioning to sticks to cook them on. Digging a fire pit and gathering loose wood was easy, and soon, with a spark of reimancy, had a fire already searing the scales of the fish he'd caught.

He could feel them, watching, filling the forest around him with hidden eyes and barely disguised greed. Sighing, the mage crouched over the leaping flames. Two more bells till dark...and three more before they would come.

Wren could wait.

[Kaie]

We might actually have something here...

Kaie lowered herself into a crouch, propping her elbows on her thighs. Reaching a hand down, she brushed at the weeds just before her to reveal a solid print. Her index finger traced the circular outline analytically before she pulled back. Deep brown eyes followed the indents at her feet through the long grass ahead of her. From what she could gather, the tracks were obviously from one horse. A lone traveler following the river. It was the perfect circumstance for the Myrian woman. By fate alone, the caravan she had stumbled upon wasn't an innocent group of vendors heading to Ravok. The men were simple minded for the most part. Brutal and reckless. They survived more off raids than they did of their own foraging. Most of them were killers, not hunters. And while Kaie had left them behind to do some exploring of her own, she knew this was what they'd be starving for. It would almost be too easy. After all she did promise she'd earn her keep.

Kaie rose to stand up straighter, eyes trained on the tracks ahead of her. No longer did she jog steadily through the forest, rather she took a low and predatory stalk forward. There was no need for a rushed pursuit. The traveler would have to stop sometime to make camp for the night, and when he did, Kaie would report his position to the group. She all but had her work cut out for her. Who knew, maybe she'd try her luck and take the weary adventurer out herself.

It was a bell before her trail ended, bringing her to a small glade beside the brook. She could hear the babbling of the water speaking to her, the steady flow as fluid as the blood in her veins. It sang its song in utter bliss, oblivious to the savage woman's slow advance through the forest. Her steps were smooth and deliberate. Kaie did her best to minimize the sound of her footsteps the best she could, though she did slip up and break a twig not and then. When she reached the edge of the glade, Kaie lowered herself behind a cluster of foliage. It was only when she finally parted the leaves in her line of sight that she saw her quarry.

The man was no larger or taller than any other man she had ever set eyes on. He was a lithe creature with brown, shaggy, hair and facial hair sprouting above his lips and around his jaw line. From what she could see, he was gutting a few fish on the brook's edge. How he managed to catch them she hadn't a clue. There was no spear she could see. No bow drawn. Nothing. Whoever he was, he certainly was a competent fisherman. Yet thus far, nothing she observed made him much of a threat. Everything was pretty mediocre. Just the average camp. Maybe she could take him out herself. It would be far more efficient than running all the way back to the men, only to return. This was her moment to prove her worth. All she needed to do was watch and wait for night fall....

That's when everything changed. Kaie was beginning to lose interest and on the verge of falling asleep, when the stranger began to build his fire. A deep sigh of anticipation was building in her chest as she watched. Any moment he would pull flint and steel from his supplies and go to clicking them together. And then he didn't. Instead a flame burst from his hands. Kaie all back fell backward, eyes wide and mouth agape in shock. The Myrian woman blinked several times before leaning closer to the opening in the brush. It was if she hadn't trusted her own eyes. The evidence (or lack of it) was still present. No tools, no sticks set aside to create fire with friction. He was bare and nothing laid near the fire but fish.

The savage woman's mind was reeling, thoughts scattered like pigeons startled in the street. The game had changed indeed. No longer did she see this man was average and harmless. Now he was a worthy opponent, and all moves against him would have to be well thought out. The problem was Kaie no longer thought about simple murder. She was possessed by what she saw. Curiosity plagued her like no other, and she found herself simply watching the man. The plotting ceased until dusk when Syna finally began her descent from the skies. She'd prepare, and then she'd close in...

Three Bells Later...

Now it was time. With Leth already replacing Syna in the sky, the world was quickly falling into Akajia's grasp. Her shadows danced about the forest, swallowing what little light Syna had left. All but the traveler's fire. And the savage was slowing returning, her lithe figure slinking through the shadows toward the camp. Her face was no longer resembling the sub-human she was. Instead it was covered in the earth. Darker bits of mud coated her cheeks, forehead, nose, cheekbones, and chin, places that caught most light, leaving the rest in a lighter shade. Step by step she was advancing from the protection of the trees. Her hand clutched the hilt of her gladius, in preparation for the onslaught, as soon as she stepped into the glade. All was going according to her carefully thought out plan.

Only a few more steps and you're mine...

And that's when her foot crunched heavily upon the earth only several paces behind the man...

Petch...

[Wrenmae]

As the sky grew darker, Syna whispering his moonlit promises across the silver-dappled canopy, Wren pushed his steel-wool cloak up over his shoulders and raised the hood. Beneath it, he drew his blade and kept it on his lap. Behind him, he set Zan, as a flask, so subtle that the slight glow from the bottle could be seen as the flames reflecting through its glass.

He allowed himself a moment to nap, his consciousness slipping away from him as the night wore on. There was every bit a possibility that he would not be attacked tonight, that they would wait till he wore himself out before moving in. It was something to consider and a wry chuckle died on his tongue.

We have company.

Zan spoke, Wren stiffened beneath the cloak, but not so much as to draw immediate attention.

Who?

Just one, female I think...hard to tell with her all covered in shadow.

Shadow?

Earth shadow.

Mud...

Right. Ok. We'll go with your uninteresting word.

Armed?

Why wouldn't she be? Looks like your weapon, but thicker...like that Mok guy had.

Gladius

Whatever.

There was a snap behind him, the shattering of wood beneath a careful foot, not too careful to hide its presence from the advance. When it snapped, Wren waited only a moment and then moved into action. First he rolled forward off his stump seat beside the fire, leaving his cloak on the ground beside the blase and coming up on his feet, blade glittering in the firelight.

The woman wasted no time, knowing immediately that it came down to striking or running. She advanced quickly, abandoning subtlety. Wren grinned, she had covered herself in the soft mud to mask both her scent and appearance...clever. He half expected more to slink from the shadows, but when none did, he thanked his fortune.

Only one? Impossible...perhaps they were waiting, or training a shot on him.

Wren moved fast, swinging his blade up to intercept the gladius. Both weapons clanged in quiet forest, but as she brought hers back to recalibrate and swing again, Wren deftly twisted his wrist in a flourish, forcing her own wrist to twist with the weapon still in its grip. To avoid damage, she dropped the gladius and jumped backward, her feet sinking into the mud as Wren followed, blade glaring in the cascading firelight.

As he approached, she reached down, gripping the mud with her fists and swinging them at the sorcerer. Wren hissed, blinded as the mud struck him in the eyes. Kaie took the advantage to drive her fist into his chest, knocking Wren off his feet and to the ground. She followed, expertly straddling his waist and gripping the wrist that held the dagger, forcing it away from her. Her other fist cocked and smashed into Wren's face, rising and falling again. If she just beat him to unconciousness, she wouldn't have to worry about how good he was with the blade.

Her third blow was deflected, Wren thrust his elbow up and intercepted the blow, the shockwave rocking his arm and he used the moment to buck, dragging them both to the mud.

Kaie was deadly efficient, hooking her thumb and jamming it at his eye, but Wren's hand snaked down to his belt and drew his other long blade, thrusting it up beneath her throat just as the tip of her thumb paused against his eye.

Covered in mud, panting, the both of them lay entwined, one ready to blind, the other ready to carve a new smile.

The night around them was silent, save for the popping of burning wood.

"Is an eye worth your life?" Wren hissed at her, his nose bleeding and face starting to turn the awful blue-green color of bruise, "Because I'm willing to wager it isn't."

Kaie said nothing at first, not removing the offending thumb. Just one quick puncture and she could hook out his eye, immobilize him...but would it be enough to stop the dagger?

"Unless this is your unconventional method of seduction, perhaps both our purposes would be better served untangled and alive...hmm?"

[Kaie]

That single moment seemed to take eons, the fatal snap of wood beneath her feet. As soon as the wooden spine broke, Kaie's eyes widened in absolute horror. This time she didn't dare risk further noise by falling into a crouch. Instead she froze. What was done was done. All she could do was wait and hope her target confused it with the crackle of embers within his fire.

But the Fates had other plans in store.

He heard it. He knows I'm here. I have to act quickly before...

And then she lunged forward. No longer did she continue futile attempts to mask her presence. Her sword sung its gleeful song as it was torn from its prison, the moon and fire lights glistening across its surface. The Myrian woman raised her weapon, hoping to hack the man to bits before he could turn. Her quarry quickly proved he would not be such an easy catch.

They were perfect together, these dancers clashing metal upon metal, force against force. The sound of their single fray battered the silence of the night so powerfully, one might've feared Akajia herself would be disturbed. It did not last long. Kaie had severely underestimated her prey, and so quickly did the man disarm her. Her favorite gladius. Her father's final parting gift. Part of her demanded she make an insane dive for it. Her instincts, however, had a much louder voice, and it was them that the savage was born to follow. The instincts for self preservation.

With nothing left but bare hands, Kaie went back to the primitive beginnings of her unarmed combat training. Blinding the enemy was the easiest attempt she could manage in the short time she had. Mud was the closest and most plentiful resource. Her trick did not last long, but it was long enough for her to improvise. All seems to be going pretty well considering the unfavorable turn of events. Kaie had managed to get him on his back, a victorious grin beginning to form at the corners of her lips. She could feel her thumb just beginning to press into his eye socket when the cool metal came.

Shyke...

Just when she thought she really had him, the man had proven to be one step ahead. The smirk quickly waned from her features, eyes widening at the realization of the position she was in. He had a blade at her throat. How had the scales so quickly tipped to one side?

"Do it," whispered something dark within her very soul, encouraging her to strike even after the man became the voice of reason. For a moment she felt her arm tense, her mind unwilling to negotiate with the one she was out to kill. Instincts knew better, and she found herself remaining frozen in their stand off.

Kaie's expression turned bitter. There was an inferno of defiance within her eyes, the amber flames flicking madly within their confines. She made no movement. Only stared at him as if admiring the work she'd done on his face. Then she seemed to turn placid, the bitterness leaving her features. The fire, however, remained.


"I saw you make fire with your hands," The savage stated rather cryptically, neglecting to offer motive nor explanation in her observation. Her ignorance of the nature of his djed was clear as day. It was rather obvious she'd never seen such a thing before. Perhaps that was why she neglected to remove her finger. That or it was a result of her own obstinate nature.

[Wrenmae]

"Then you must have been watching me for some time," Wren countered dryly, raising an eyebrow, "Well done." They stared at each other, barley moving as the fire crackled in the background. Neither of them felt confident in moving. Her face caught the firelight in the contours made through drying mud. He could sense no sickness on her, and that even away in the wilds like this...she managed to stay healthy.

That was a good sign, at the least.

He heard no drawing bows, no steps from other bandits that approached the fire. She was alone, likely a scout who felt she could have taken him on her own. It was not the smartest move, but he applauded the hungry ambition in that.

His face hurt...and would continue to for a few days after. Sighing, he reached gingerly up to his nose beneath her hand and touched it tentatively, hissing and drawing it back.

"Get off me." He didn't order it with hypnotism, lowering his hand, only barely brushing the skin of the hand at his eye as his hand returned to his side. But he'd laid the invisible divine strings of Cordas on her hand, and as his own retreated to his side, he yanked it sideways, viciously, forcing her hand into a momentary spasm, sending her thumb crushing against the side of his face before the strings snapped.

He took the advantage, reaching up to grab her long hair with his free hand and bucking from beneath her, sending them rolling again. His knife remained at her throat, but now her neck was pulled back, exposed, blade tickling the exposed skin, snapped taut.

There was an ember of excitement that flared in his lower abdomen, but he pushed it away, forcing the blade against her throat hard enough to draw a thin line of blood.

"How about this, then," He said quietly, with a smile, "On the count of three, We release each other. You can come sit at my fire and tell me about yourself, and your friends...wherever they are. A corpse will only draw out the wild animals and I don't think either of us want to deal with it."

[Kaie]

Kaie cocked a brow at him from her position and nodded to the side as if agreeing with him. They were at a crossroads and it looked like neither was willing to pull back just yet. There was silence for a time, the night's quiet tainted only by steadying breaths and crackling embers. Her face was divided by the light of the flames. Her eyes glittered in its radiance, searching his. The savage was waiting for that telltale sign, that dilation of his pupil that would warn her of his next movement. Yet his next action was not aggressive. It was not quick nor threatening. Its innocence was corrupted in its aftermath, however.

As if her own body willed it to be so, Kaie's hand almost mirrored the direction of his retreating one. The quick yank somehow had an effect on her muscles, jerking her digit away from its original target. Immediately her amber eyes widened, her brow furrowing in absolute bewilderment. And that's when he made his move.

There was the pulling of her hair, a tumble, and before she knew it the tables had turned. He was above her, the cool edge of the blade chilling her vulnerable flesh. It brought a single, invisible shiver rushing through her veins. The adrenaline kicked up in the face of a new, and very powerful threat. Oh, how exhilarating it could be to stare into the face of Dira herself.

Kaie couldn't help but wriggle once uncomfortably beneath his hips, an amused and uneven smile slipping upon her parted lips. A quiet breath of a laugh escaped her. Her tongue played against the inner side of her cheek, amber eyes flickering between the man and his weapon. The building pressure came, perhaps a show to remind her he was very serious in his silent threat. And just as it was expected, the wine of her body spilled under the power of metal. Its warmth trailed slowly, softly down her bronzed skin. A lackadaisical waterfall effect of red. The Myrian woman instinctively tried to pry herself back away from it, though unable to burrow deeper with the earth in her way. Kaie did manage to maneuver her head to hardly to the side, eyes searching for anything within reach. There was nothing.

"Agreed," She said slowly, uncertainly though she couldn't help but keep that coy defiance from her features. This was a dangerous game they were playing. It was only to be assumed without a weapon to rival his, she would become the corpse he referenced. Her chances were better humoring him than trying to wrestle him off."You count."

[Wrenmae]

"One."

Beneath the mud that dried upon her cheeks, the rise of her nose and lips, there was a coy crinkle between her eyes and the edge of an upturned smile. She was attractive in that moment, something of flesh and shadow, vibrant and terrifyingly alive. Her heart thrummed against the blade, a vein pulsing obstinately. She was not afraid, and that was attractive...or perhaps she had simply accepted the possibility of death tonight, sneaking up behind him with her blade raised high.

"Two."

His own frame was sure, as intimately entangled as they were, without the knife they might have been in the throes of passion. In some respect, there was little difference between the energy of battle and of sex. Both were deeply encoded, born in each being laced with their instinct. To kill, to procreate...to take and give life in equal measure. Stripped of their petty philosophies and ideals, each and every one of them were as animal as the beasts of the trees and earth. The fire lived within her blood for a moment, glimmering there. She would never beg for her life, she would die with that savage grin on her face.

That was admirable.

"Three."

He pushed off her as she pushed off him, rolling to her feet even as he rose to his, backing a distance from each other swiftly. Her eyes, vibrant and defiant, flicked to her gladius and then back to Wren, choosing to circle away from it and closer to the fire. In good faith, no doubt, but likely also a product of her confidence in unarmed combat.

Wren kept his knife clasped in his right hand, but raised his left to wipe the blood away from his face.

"You're not alone." It was an accusation, not a question, "How many of you are there and where are they camped?"

[Kaie]

If nothing else, one question had plagued her mind even as the man fulfilled her request: Would he make good on his word? Too easy would it be on his end to off her in such a believable lie. He had the knife and she only flesh. Of course anyone in her situation would enjoy the chance to escape death on a stranger's blade. Trickery here would be all too easy. So she would watch him. Carefully. Just as instinct intended her to do first chance, she escaped his grasp. At least he kept him promise.

Now they were in another stand off, Kaie in another with only herself. Self preservation dictated she choose distance beside the fire for safety. Pride demanded she retrieve the only material thing she'd ever hold dear. The voice of instinct was the only one she'd unconditionally obey. For that was the most primitive conscience whispering promises of survival. In the jungle, that had been her mentor and her closest confidant. Like a mongrel fighting against its own leash, the concept of going for her weapon would always be on her mind.

Her stance was still defensive, eyes dark and churning in their slow inferno. The savage woman studied him closely, watching his hands. Eyes always following his weapon. Yet which weapon was she to pay the most attention to? His hands or his knife? The one with the blade or the one touched by sorcery? Either way, the Myrian had a deep distrust for the man and his power. Whatever power that might be.

"I am many things but not a snitch," She replied darkly, voice unwavering in its finality. Her face betrayed no emotion and erased was the coyness that once graced her features. Instead was cold, hard, resilience in the face of the stranger's interrogation tactic. "How do you do that? That thing with your hands?" Kaie shot back, beginning her own investigation without mercy. The question was: Who would crack first?

[Wrenmae]

Wren chuckled, gathering res in the palm of his hand, holding it tight and dear...as if his own lifeblood. He circled her, careful not to step too far into her zone of effectiveness. She'd proven herself a capable combatant before, but he wouldn't allow her the chance to get another drop on him.

"How very loyal of you, but regrettably foolish." He poured more Res into his unarmed hand, passing near to the fire and standing over it, "You came alone, suggesting either they don't know I'm here...or did not consider me much of a threat. Given your experience, I can see why they might. However, given time they will come looking for you. Before that happens, I intend to either cripple their operations or make my way from here."

Waving his hand over the flames, he attracted it toward his Res, pulling the flames from the burning wood and spinning it between both hands. As the flames, passed, his eyes burned brightly, captured by the flickering leap of the starving blaze.

"You came alone, which means you are not one of them. You'd never come at me alone if you had comrades...suggesting this is a job. Now, I can just as easily make my way into the dark and test my luck. As you can see, I am quite capable of protecting myself. But...I can't have a little muddy mouse running back to her swarm to tell them where I am...so where does that leave me?"

He pushed the flames back into the fire pit and stepped around the fire towards her.

"Counter offer. You go back and tell them you found nothing. If you bring them, I will kill you all." He was confident, and in that moment he would have...burned them all to ash and let Lhex sort them out.

He hoped she could hear the sincerity in that.

"Do that for me, and when you return later this evening...it can be as a fellow traveler rather than an assailant. I know enough about mercenary work to know that we straddle the line between whether or not a job is worth the risk. I will tell you, now, that this job is not worth the risk."

[Kaie]

Oh, how quickly she turned into the doe circled by a hungry wolf. He was methodical, movements and words as if he were omniscient. A clever and well practiced negotiator who rarely walked away without getting his way. Yet what happened when such a powerful force met one just as obstinate in nature?

The savage woman eyed him distrustfully, the flames flickering furiously within her eyes. They danced upon their surface like a mirror, twining around one another in a glassy glow. Paired with the amber tones within, the reflection only complemented the depths of her pools. All the while she watched the fire coil around his hand like a serpent, bursting between his hands like he was its master of element. It was her natural reaction to widen her eyes and curl her lips defiantly. Yet what could she do when her fire was in her soul while his was between his fingers?

"A little muddy mouse...Now that's adorable," Kaie muttered to herself, eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly at the phrase. And the sorcerer was nearing her, approaching her space like the deliberate steps of a man several moves ahead of her. The very thought made her want to ball hers hands to fists and defy that truth. "Return as a fellow traveler? What did you have in mind? Singing campfire songs and telling ghost stories?" She teased with a sinful smile back on her face, instinctively turning to stare at him head on as he moved. The Myrian's knees were bent, something similar to her predatory stalk. Half a battle position. Perhaps it even gave way to her divided mind, the choice between eliminating the sure threat and escaping into the safety of the night again.

But a flame of curiosity flickered to life the longer she stared at his eyes and studied his movements. The closest thing to sorcery and witchcraft she really knew about was Malediction and "Dhani Magics." Yet if such a man harbored greater power than she knew existed, what other secrets did he know?

"Fine. I make deal. I will make sure none hunt you this night. I'll tell them I found nothing. But how will I know you just won't slip away in the dark before I return?" She countered smoothly, making a point not to outright agree with him she might not have stood a chance this time around. However, she knew one thing about negotiation: Never make solid agreements with people you don't trust if you're lacking collateral.