Of swords and soliders

[Smaugthesilver]

It was dark, but Siel was not afraid.
The moon was new, but he was not afraid.
The wolves were howling like the demons that resided in their souls.
Yet. Siel was not afraid.
The one thing that did scare him though, was the new presence on his doorstep. A tall, Noble man, a man with hair like the night and eyes made of curiosity.
Siel had been alone for a long time- and he liked It that way. Sure, he'd missed the conversation, the talking.

But there was no way in hel he'd miss them stealing his power.

Because Siel is a sword. One with many powers, and a mind of it's own.

And he was waiting for the intruder to come to him.

[Arocraes]

Vanadis crouched down and reached for his bow. What is this place? he thought as he stared at the ruins before him. It looked like a former watch tower, hidden from plain sight and cozied beside the mountain. Vanadis estimates that about half of the towers originally height lay in rubble around the surviving structure. But, what could have caused the massive structure to break?

Wildlife and fauna encircled the tower. A lone wolf wandered nearby the entrance, and if Vanadis wanted to enter the ruin he would need to deal with it first. Vanadis drew his bow as the particles in the air crystallized into a projectile. He aimed for the wolf's head, wanting to take the beast out in one blow. He released the arrow as it pierced through the skull of the wolf, shattering its skill and killing it on impact.

With no indication of anymore hostiles, Vanadis advanced while still clutching the bow in his hand. When he reached the seemingly heavy door, it wouldn't budge. Vanadis lunged forward with his shoulder several ones before using his bow as a crutch to creak the door open. As he slowly moved the heavy door, he caught glimpse of a sword amongst rubble and broken crates.

[Smaugthesilver]

Siel cursed silently.

Somewhere, in his haste to hide, he'd forgotten to lock the door properly. Closing off his semses, he projected an image of a handsome, weathered man with many scars and wearing rough cloth clothes behind a nearby pile of rubble. The feeling of displacement took some getting used to, but Siel had be doing it for centuries, so he was well prepared.

A few seconds later, Siel opened his eyes. He clambered to his feet, and grasped the pommel of the-sword-that-held-his-power-and-soul.
"Who are you?" his voice rang out, raspy and lilting, yet unmistakably real.

[Arocraes]

Vanadis took a few steps back with his hands slightly in the air, not wanting to start a fight immediately. "I am" he started "a traveler I suppose." Vanadis looked at the weapon he was carrying. It was impressive craftsmanship, yet something seemed off about it.

"My name is Vanadis Duval" he continued, "lord of House Duval." Vanadis wouldn't sure if the man would recognize his name. After all, Vanadis thought this man was simply just a man who decided to make the old ruin his home and live with nature. A man who enjoyed isolation, a life that Vanadis could truly admire. "I mean no harm" Vanadis added as he dropped his arms and returned his bow to his back. "What can I call you?" he asked.

[Smaugthesilver]

A look of consideration came over Siel's face as he thought about the question. He'd gone by many names over the centuries,  and many faces, but this was a new start, a new life and he needed to choose wisley.

Siel knew that the man must be looking at him odly: after all, when you ask someone what their name is, they don't usually think about it. But what did it matter? He had Magic the boy knew nothing of. One dead noble would mean one less noble to bully the lower classes, after all.

"Feris." he muttered, then spoke louder. "Feris Siel"

[Arocraes]

Vanadis noticed the hesitation, but didn't think much of it. Perhaps the man was wary of adventures, after all Vanadis was the intruder. "Well it's nice to meet you Feris" he said with a straight face. "Sorry for barging in your home like this, I was just curious about this place and the stories it may have" he continued referring to the ruins.

"Do you anything about this place's history?" Vanadis looked around at all the rubble and remnants of past habitants. He was intrigued by the architecture and the condition it was in, but was not at all curious of the man before him. 

[Smaugthesilver]

Siel hissed loudly.

"What interest is my home to you, lordling?"

Siel spits on the ground in front of him. In his experience of people, ot tends to be an offensive gesture, and Siel feels no need to be polite.

[Arocraes]

"Just curious" Vanadis replied, not breaking his tone. "Very well, it's clear that you do not want to be bothered." Vanadis headed towards the entrance he came from, disappointed that the man did not share what he knew.

Well I did barge into his home Vanadis thought, understanding why someone would be angry with him. He began to set east, searching for a suitable place to make camp and rest for the night.

[Smaugthesilver]

As soon as the lordling was gone, Siel allowed himself to smile viciously. He then closed his eyes and felt his life-force flow back into the sword and the projected image crumble.

Siel smiled satisfiedly and concentrated on projecting another image- this time one of a giant hawk. It was awkward at first, but eventually, after around fifteen solid minutes of trying, he managed to secure the sword on his back.

In a few beats on his wings he was in the air.
Oh gods would the lordling pay.

[Arocraes]

Vanadis ventured through shrubbery and rock, looking for a suitable open space to stay. Ticks and bugs would scatter over his leg and disperse as tree branches and bushes periodically disrupted his movement. After a while he came across a recently abandoned camp site.

"This should do" he said to himself as he dropped his bag, sliding it under a rock so that no lingering humans or beasts would snatch it. Vanadis gathered leaves and twigs from nearby to begin building a bed, as well as wood to create a fire as it was turning to dusk soon. He carefully ignited a fire in the middle of the space, and completed the makeshift bed he was to spend the night on. I should get some food he thought to himself, returning the wilderness in search of prey as the sun began to set.

The sounds of wolves howling and the sky and insects chiming in rhythm with one another filled the night. Vanadis was unsure of what meat he would find, but was ready for anything.

[Smaugthesilver]

And as Siel headed for him, he would need to be ready for anything.

The journey that must have taken Vanadis an hour was a matter of minutes for a giant hawk. One of the perks of being a bird of prey was good eyesight, and Siel made good use of it as he headed into a deep dive, aiming for Vanadis. Only the slight whistle of wing rushing past his wings could be heard as Siel dived silently.

[Arocraes]

Vanadis caught sight of a small rabbit, innocently traversing through the woods. He drew his bow carefully and aimed for the bunny's head. He generated a projectile that was fine and sharp, that wouldn't make too much noise should there be bigger predators in the area.

He was at full momentum and ready to release the arrow.

[Smaugthesilver]

Siel hit Valadis at half-force- he didn't want to necessarily kill him without good cause. But, nevertheless, getting hit by a diving giant hawk, even if it's making a visible effort to slow down, is gonna hurt.

The force from the dive nocked Valadis over and Siel pins him down with his claws.

[Arocraes]

As soon as Vanadis released the arrow his body got the floor with full force, ruining the trajectory of the projectile. Vanadis could not see what struck him.  He moaned as he tried to figure out what hit him, but seeing as he was pinned down he could not find out easily. "Easy there creature" he calmly said in frustration.

[Smaugthesilver]

Siel's claws dig into Valadis's shoulders as he flies higher. He answers his questions with a loud, avian squawk.

[Arocraes]

Vanadis wanted to swing his legs up to kick the animal, but from the continuing elevation it would be painful drop should he succeed. Instead, he waited for the bird to land--if it would land.

[Smaugthesilver]

In a swift flurry of movement, Siel landed easily on a tall, wiry tree, grabbing Valadis by the scruff of his collar, making sure he doesn't fall.

[Arocraes]

Vanadis remained calm, but also desperately trying to figure out how to get out of his current situation. "Alright bird, you have me" he said, "now what is it that you want?" He peered down, noticing the large drop. I shouldn't make any sudden movements, or else it would probably drop me in a heartbeat he thought.

[Smaugthesilver]

Siel gave out a loud, harsh mocking caw. He cocked his head jauntily to one side. The truth is, even he's not entirely sure what he wants from Valadis, but his curiosity was peaked by this strange, unfearing human.

He waited for Valadis to speak.

[Arocraes]

"You are obviously no ordinary creature" he said to the bird, "What magic bounds you? What are you?" Vanadis was growing more annoyed. He wondered about the hostile man he had met earlier. He wondered if perhaps by chance the man would come along and notice that Vanadis needed help.