The Odd Companions of a Wandering Knight (Nova, Kadakism, Sanctified) [Mature]

[Nova_Eclipse]

"To be fair, I was following your lead and the information about the likely location of the bandits' camp, so how's about we just continue moving as we were before...this happened," Richter suggested, gesturing to the two cooling bandit corpses around them for emphasis. "If we move now instead of trying to decide who's following who, we can find the bandit encampment before they send more of their own to investigate why these two haven't come back."

[Kadakism]

Snark or being berated was not something new for Belafay. She knew better than to talk back when confronted in such a manner. That was how one got punished. So as she had learned long ago, Belafay bowed her head with her eyes closed and responded with a simple, "As you command, sir."

She resumed leading the way in silence. It was much easier going now, as she could just follow the trail of footprints from the bandits as they had walked to the log trap's location. It was maybe another ten minutes at the most, and that was at the slightly slower pace Belafay was taking due to being unfamiliar with the area and not wanting to lose sight of the tracks.

Footprints turned into a well worn path and eventually the sound of people talking could be heard ahead. Belafay stopped and gestured forward, towards a clearing and the smell of stew cooking. Her voice was a whisper as she spoke, "I have brought you to the bandits as requested, Ser Richter. What else do you require of me?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

Richter took a moment to tear his eyes away from the clearing and turn them to look at Belafay.

Of the many things Richter wasn't, 'being completely oblivious' was one of the more important ones.  Although barely noticeable due to Belafay's almost perpetually neutral expression, her reaction to his admittedly snarky reply earlier hadn't gone unnoticed.

He'd seen similar reactions in people who'd been physically 'punished' for disobeying or angering a 'superior.'

"Well...if you'd like, you could continue accompanying me as an assistant.  Though if you're asking about what else I require right now...I'd say I would appreciate it if you chose to help me eliminate these scum," Richter told the golem in a soft tone. "Also...I want you to know that I appreciate everything you've done for me thus far.  I'll be moving into their camp regardless, but I don't want you to feel forced to come with me, so..."

The knight slowly inhaled, then breathed out.

"Miss Belafay...I want you to choose what you want to do - what you feel like the best course of action for you to take is.  Whatever course of action you feel is right, I will not think anything less of you for taking," Richter firmly told Belafay before turning his gaze back to the clearing. "Now...I must end this bandit threat."

With that, Richter quietly advanced in the direction of the bandits.

[Kadakism]

Belafay listened, her lips slowly forming into a thin frown as he fumbled his way through asking her to help him while simultaneously trying to impose her to 'do as she pleased.' He didn't understand in the slightest. But once again, before she could even begin attempting to explain it to him, he was gallivanting off to go fight the bandits. With a sigh Belafay hoisted her spear and followed him. If he died, she surmised, she'd never get the nagging sensation of wanting to explain her predicament to him.

Crouching low as she moved through the underbrush, Belafay kept her eyes on Richter and her ears open to the sound of any approaching danger. Up ahead, she could smell cooking meat now and hear that the voices were laughing and seemingly having a good time. If she hadn't been told that they were bandits and that they had been hurting people, she would have not thought twice about joining this camp and seeking out a master among them.

She kept herself quiet, hidden behind a tree as she watched Richter. Waited for a signal to attack.

[Nova_Eclipse]

((OOC: Sorry it took so long to make another post.  College work has been taking up a lot of time.))

Richter slowly, carefully crept along the perimeter of the bandit camp until he came to a halt behind the cover of an assortment of barrels and large wooden boxes, likely their supply storage, haphazardly grouped together beside an A-frame hut or tent.

Taking a deep breath, the knight peered around the side of one of the barrels and examined the opposition.

Five men and what seemed to be three women - all in leather armor and wielding either axes, spears, daggers, or swords - sat around a fire with a spit built over it, watching a skinned boar that was impaled on the spit slowly turn and cook as the flames below bathed it in heat.

One of the women, whose exposed forearms were lightly tanned, suddenly groaned in what might have been exasperation or impatience, "What the hell is taking those two idiots so long?!  It isn't that hard to go to the trap, see who or whatever fucking tripped it, and kill any intruders before moving their asses back here!  Should've taken only five minutes max, but nooo!  They have to take their sweet fucking time and make me question if they got themselves killed!"

"...Does that mean you're actually worried about someone other than yourself, for once?" the lone swordsman among them asked rhetorically, a hint of amusement in his tone as the woman glowered at him.

"Not a fucking chance.  Those morons owe me a damn meal after their little 'target practice' shit almost took my head off a week ago, and I can't cash in on that meal if they're dead!" she spat and pointedly turned her head away from the swordsman.

The man shrugged and let out a simple 'hmm' in response, then leaned slightly away from the heat of the flames in front of him, "Eh, whatever.  Not my business, anyways.  You have to admit, though, they made a great find when they caught and dragged that rabbit-eared freak back here.  She looks like she could fetch quite the sum of gold if we sold her to the right people.  Slavers love products that have unique little features that make 'em more valuable."

Richter cautiously advanced forward, taking cover behind a tent closer to the bandits and their fire spit and keeping himself out of sight in favor of continuing to listen in.  The mention of slavers made the wandering knight's fingers twitch towards his sword, but he stopped himself before he could even come close to drawing it; it wouldn't do to give himself away so soon, not when there was a captive woman at risk of being hurt or killed in the heat of the battle.

"Sell her?  Fuck that!  With a body like that, I say we keep her around for ourselves whenever we need to, ya know, 'let off some steam' or somethin' like that," another man spoke up, a disgusting chuckle following shortly afterwards. "Besides, if we end up breaking her, we can just have some extra special rabbit stew for a couple weeks."

"Speaking of our little 'guest', it's about time someone goes to feed her.  No use in capturing her and locking her up just to oet her starve to death," the swordsman said plainly.

"Oh!  I'll do it!  Besides, I think that it's about time for me to pay her back for punching me in the face yesterday," the disgusting man eagerly volunteered as Richter heard the sound of grass rustling as someone stood up and walked away from the fire.

Richter followed the sound of the man's footsteps while sidling against the back of the tent, stopping when the man did and listening in.

[SanctifiedSavage]

Saeyov had what he'd like to call, a streak of bad luck. He had really thought that he'd gotten away this time. Broken free of one cage, only to end up in another.

He supposed he was like a dog turned free. He ran off in the first direction he could, but he didn't really know what to do with himself once he was free. The world seemed too big, too vast, and where he fuck was he to go?

For now, he leaned against the bars of the cramped cage where his slender, scarred ears poked up and out of the top. Just big enough for him to sit in. Thus far, the bandits – his captors – had believed Saeyov was a girl. For those who didn't know or had never ran into a Haevar, it was an easy mistake to make.  He had smooth, tanned skin, sharp green eyes, and a smooth jaw line. Never mind that Saeyov's body was slender and supple, wrapped in a tattered dress he'd stolen, as a disguise, so he could flee from his initial captors.

Right into the hands of the bandits. Stumbling into one of their traps, where they'd then hauled him back here. He saw no reason to correct the assumption he was a female. Saeyov never offered anything he wasn't forced to.

His sensitive hearing could pick up all of their yammering conversation. It grated on him but he forced himself to focus, to listen. Anything could be useful, after all. Like the bit about two of them going off, and still being gone. He also liked to know when to expect company or when he thought he heard others creeping about the camp.

Not that Saeyov was going to say anything about that either. Rather, he remained sitting against the bars. Watching and waiting like good little rabbit he was. Hoping there'd be an opportunity for him to exploit and get the fuck out.

OOC

I was initially going to make a girl, but my muse decided otherwise. Instead, I have my rebellious and obnoxious Saeyov here. A bit girlish and in a dress, so the mistake would have been easy to make. 8D

Sorry for the delay. :c I was garbage and life was a turd. If i need to adjust anything, lemme know.

@Nova_Eclipse @Kadakism

[close]

[Nova_Eclipse]

Richter heard the disgusting man chuckle and bang on the cage with a weapon of some sort, "Hey there, you little shit!  Guess who's come to get some payback for yesterday?"

There was the sound of a pained, feminine cry and the sound of softer flesh being yanked against cage bars. The knight's hand twitched toward the hilt of his sword, but nothing more.

"So, here's the deal," the disgusting creature sneered as Richter heard the sound of garments being pulled down. "You suck my cock as an apology for punching me in the face, or I cut your ears off right here and now with my dagger, cunt.  You suck me off, and maybe I'll even leave without claiming what's between your legs."

A faint choking or whimpering sound, followed by a vile chuckle, "It ain't that hard to choose, really.  I mean...you like having your ears, don't you?  Now get to sucking, bitch."

Richter had heard enough.  Drawing his blade, the knight ran around the corner and charged at the disgusting man, who'd literally been caught with his pants down and could barely turn to bring his dagger to face the knight before his head was cleaved from his shoulders with a horizontal swing of Richter's longer blade.

Blood sprayed out for a brief moment from the stump of the corpse's neck before it started slumping to the ground.  Richter caught the body before it could hit the ground, then slowly lowered it until it was finally flush against the soil.  The knight looked around - no saw or heard the commotion...yet.

Then, he turned to face the captive and was taken aback by just how...cute she was, for lack of a better descriptor.  He shook the thought out of his head and whispered to the captive rabbit girl, "Are you unharmed?  Do you need assistance?"

[Kadakism]

From her own hiding spot, Belafay's primary thought was to how crude men could be. And how endlessly fascinated they were with fellatio. She didn't really understand, but she also supposed that she couldn't. She shook her head and set her red eyes on what Richter was doing. The task at hand. Free the girl. Kill the bandits. But still he had not given her a signal to act. How annoying.

Ah, wait. She was too focused. He had said if he meant for there to be a signal he would tell her what it was beforehand. He had indicated no such signal, which meant it was left up to Belafay to decide what she should do in this situation. Also annoying. Since Richter was at that time enamored with the captive girl, Belafay figured that it only made sense that she start on the actual reason for their being here.

Moving stealthily over to Richter and Saeyov, surveying the girl. No wait, the boy? Either way, Belafay showed little to no emotion as she looked the freed captive over. She turned more to Richter and stared up at him for a long moment before nodding. "I will get started on the bandits if you like. So you can take care of..." her eyes fell back to Saeyov, "...this."

[Nova_Eclipse]

(OOC: Oh LAWDY, it has been too long since I last posted and I am so sorry!  College and managing free time sucks ;w;)

If Richter noticed how the golem woman had addressed the rabbit-eared girl, he didn't say anything about it.  Instead, he looked at the rabbit girl for a few moments, then brought his gaze back to Belafay.

"If you can draw their attention away from the fire - and the rest of the camp by extension - then do so.  Try to fell a tree or make a loud but natural sound outside of this camp's perimeter; they will most likely think that it's some larger animal moving far too close for comfort.  Once you've lured them away, double back around to here and help me get this captive out of the cage.  When she's freed from the cage, try to make sure she's hidden and doesn't just run off into the forest and get killed by any of the other traps these bandits have probably placed around the forest.  After you've done that, we can properly deal with these scum, treat any of this woman's injuries, and proceed from there."

The knight's helm concealed his face, but the golem girl could feel that he was looking at her sternly.

"Am I understood, Belafay?  Our lives and the success of our task hinges upon you, but...even if you can't do everything without a hitch...just do your best, alright?"

[Kadakism]

Belafay's jaw set tightly as Richter started barking orders at her. He was getting over his reservations about commanding her very quickly. But the magic that still animated her nodded once to affirm that she understood her master-at-present.

Stealing a glance at Saeyov and giving the girl the tiniest of strained smiles, the Golem ducked low into the underbrush and stalked away from the two of them. She wondered why Richter was not simply ordering her to kill the bandits while he freed the girl. She could have easily done so. All they had were arrows and spears and the like. Hardly anything that would do damage to her.

As she moved around the perimeter of the camp, Belafay started looking around at the trees in the area. None were particularly unwieldy, but she was only to cause a distraction. Nothing more. Why did that frustrate her so? There was a part of her that thought that she could end this more efficiently than her master-at-present, but she couldn't say that. Oh well.

Finding a suitable tree, she made sure that she was recalling his orders correctly. Fell a tree, or some other loud, natural sound. Simple enough. Pressing a hand against the trunk of her chosen tree, Belafay pushed until the roots gave way and the entire thing went tumbling to the forest floor. If that didn't get the bandits' attention she didn't know what would.

[Nova_Eclipse]

It was impossible to mistake the sound of a falling tree for anything else, and the subsequent THUMP as it landed was more than sufficient to elicit a series of curses and orders from the bandits in the middle of the encampment.  The sound of their weapons being drawn and their footsteps rapidly moving away from him was confirmation to him that they'd taken the bait.

Now, all he had to do was wait for Belafay to come back while the bandits were searching for a nonexistent tree-felling creature, and then they could ensure that the caged rabbit would be put somewhere safe before he and his companion finally dealt with their targets.

...Or, at least, that was the plan.

Alas, luck and fate seemed to be against them at that moment, as evidenced by the dark silhouette of another bandit suddenly rising up from within the largest tent in the encampment.

"What the hells is going on, you fucking incompetent little wretches?!  I thought I told you all to-" a gravelly, guttural male's voice boomed just before its owner cut himself off.

The silhouette of the figure cast on the tent wall craned its neck from side to side as the unknown bandit loudly sniffed the air...then turned its head in Richter's and the captive's direction.

"Intruders, hmm?  Coming to 'rescue' that little rodent my underlings captured, I suppose? Well, I'm afraid that your little 'rescue mission' is going to end with you as dead as my last meal or sharing that cage with the little bitch," the figure said as he took three long strides that brought him into Richter's field of vision.

Richter's heart stopped at the sight of the massive green Ogre that was staring him down with murderous glee in his coal-black eyes.  The hulking brute stood half again as tall as Richter, and was covered from head to toe in thick metal armor lined with a variety of animal furs and hides.  Hanging on the Ogre's back was a warhammer as large as Richter was, and its owner was already bringing it around to bear as he walked towards Richter and the rabbit girl with heavy footsteps.

"Oh, it looks like we have a little knight in shining armor come to rescue the distressed damsel, here.  Please, do try to put up somewhat of a fight - it's been SO fucking long since I had a decent scrap, and I'd HATE to have you disappoint me after waking me up from my nap," the Ogre gave Richter a savage, toothy grin that showed off the two tusks in either corner of his mouth.

[Kadakism]

Belafay was on her way back to Richter when she heard the ogre call out his challenge. Of course there was an ogre. Did Richter not do any kind of research into his enemies before he went into battle? Her third master would have, and in fact had, cut her limbs off for such sloppy behavior.

She briefly considered leaving and letting him die. But his orders were clear. Get the girl out of the cage, deal with the bandits, and then treat her injuries.

Subtlety was out the window though. Grabbing a forgotten short sword one of the bandits had left, she cut through the camp, ending up behind the ogre. "Excuse me sir, you are in my way. I have orders to free that girl and hide her somewhere safe while I assist Ser Richter in cutting down your entire camp."

[Nova_Eclipse]

(OOC: I'm getting the distinct feeling that Belafay doesn't really like Richter, or that you aren't exactly all that enthused by this RP.

And that's fine!  That's totally fine, I just...eh, nevermind, ignore me!  Let's just get back to it.)

The Ogre stops and cranes his head to look at the smaller golem girl, then brings his gaze back to Richter with a low, rumbling chuckle, "A golem?  Well, that explains the odd third smell I picked up...and it makes this little situation all the more interesting.  I would be tempted to just disable you, bind you and keep you caged until I could sell you off to some fat noble in some other country, but I think you'd be of much more use to me as a punching bag.  LIKE SO!"

The Ogre suddenly whirls around and swings the flat head of his warhammer at Belafay's chest with surprising speed.

[Kadakism]

(Belafay doesn't like a great many people, to be fair. But she also doesn't really dislike people. She's just a pragmatist, and Richter is throwing her off further by simultaneously ordering her around and also telling her to do as she pleases.

I, on the other hand, am having a great time. Just playing into the character.)

"You talk a lot, Ser Ogre," Belafay said as the hammer came swinging at her. She let the hammer blow hit her dead center, which sent her flying hard into one of the bandits' tents.

So he was big and fast. But also really stupid, by the sounds of it. What was it master number five had always said? Monstrous size was no intrinsic merit unless one considered inordinate exsanguination a virtue.

The deformations in her body were already healed, the clay making her up reshaping to be normal again. Belafay stood and hefted the sword in her hand, her fist having had closed around it like a ball so she wouldn't drop it.

"Ser Richter. I ask you. Are you my master?" He wasn't a perfect candidate by any means. Somewhere in the back of her head, Belafay was convinced she would never find a perfect master. But he was kind, if impractical. His heart was in the right place. St least she thought that was how the phrase went. And she would hate to have to kill him if the ogre got the idea to start ordering her around. Just say the words, she thought to herself.

[Nova_Eclipse]

Richter between Belafay and the Ogre that was advancing on her...and let out an inaudible sigh before nodding, "Yes, Belafay, I am your mas-"

The knight was cut off before he could finish when the Ogre abruptly changed course and charged at him with frightening speed, the massive warhammer already swinging towards Richter's head.  A faint curse leapt from the man's lips as he was forced to duck and roll out of the way; the warhammer clipped his shoulder rather than his head, but there was still enough force imparted by the impact to knock Richter to the ground.

"Ah ah ah!  No talking in the middle of a fight.  Especially not when this 'Belafay' over there seems to want you to say the magic phrase that'll make you her master and thus make her stronger somehow.  I may be an Ogre, but I'm not a complete idiot, and I find it insulting that you'd think I wouldn't know at least something about how golems work when I explicitly called you out as one, girly," the Ogre mockingly scolded the two intruders as he turned around yet again and hurled himself at Belafay with an outstretched arm aimed at the golem girl's neck.

[Kadakism]

Belafay didn't hesitate when she saw Richter get hurt. The ogre may have thought that he had stopped something, but Richter had confirmed her question. Yes, Belafay was all she needed. Her mouth moved without her conscious decision to do so as she rushed forward. Her voice was hollow as the magic suffused through her body, making the patterns etched into her skin glow for a brief moment.

"Then I am your sword. Your shield. A cloak in any storm. A beast of burden. Lover. Confidant. I am tireless. I am without hunger. My only needs are yours, my master."

Ducking under the easily visible strike, Belafay released her sword and locked one arm around the ogre's wrist. Her other hand found his elbow and she wrenched hard to bend his arm the wrong way. The back of his gauntlet slammed into his pauldron with a sickening crunch of bone.

"You harmed my master. Surrender your life now and I will take your head cleanly and with no pain."

[Nova_Eclipse]

The Ogre stared at her for a monent before barking out a laugh and grabbing Belafay by the throat, then tossed her into the fire at the middle of the camp just as the ofher bandits come running back into view, "HAHAHAAAA!  Oh, I LIKE that fire in you, girly!  But if you think I'm going to just GIVE UP, then you are sorely mistaken.  In fact, I think that just for breaking my arm, I'll break something of yours"

With that last word snarled out, the Ogre scoops up his dropped warhammer and swiftly smashes it in an overhead strike down on Richter's left leg, the armor caving in as if it were made of butter with the sound of bone crunching, followed by an agonized scream from the knight.

"Oops!  I missed his spine.  Must'a been because you broke my dominant arm.  Oh well...this next strike won't miss," the hulking brute said as he started lifting his warhammer back up.

Through the searing torment of his broken leg and the metal armor compacted unnaturally into it, Richter managed to squeeze out one simple command before the pain became too much, and darkness took him, "B-BE!  LA!  FAY!  KILL!  THE!  BANDITS!"

[Kadakism]

Belafay's scream as the flames engulfed the left half of her body was an unsettling, inhuman sound. Far too loud and far too shrill, to the point of breaking glass. But even her volume couldn't stop the command from magically reaching her as she struggled to pull herself away from the fire and keep her skin from cracking further.

Kill the bandits.

It was a simple enough order, and one that she obeyed with brutal efficiency. While her master may not have been conscious to bear witness to it, Saeyov absolutely could from his place in the cage. Most of the bandits fell to some manner of blunt force trauma, their bodies broken and twisted like cloth dolls on the ground. The ogre who had harmed Richter however was broken until he couldn't move and left conscious as the petite fury twisted his head off.

When it was all said and done, the camp was a massacre. And Belafay herself was a fright to look at: covered in blood that was not her own, filled with broken arrows, her dress all but shreds from weapon strikes that she had refused to dodge, and her left arm and a significant portion of her face shattered away like broken pottery.

Turning her gaze over to where she assumed the Haevar was still trapped, the golem made her way over with a simple question in mind. "How much do you know about setting broken bones?"

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

When he hadn't said anything about the people creeping up, he had thought it might be some manner of normal rescue. Ya know, the sort that involved a bit of steel, exchanged sword blows, and some fighting. Granted, the ogre was a bit bigger that most would be able normally handle.

The ensuing slaughter from the odd lady-thing, because there was no way she was some normal creature, was just... Well. Saeyov started to feel bad for the bandits. Not bad enough that he'd wished any of them survived, mind, but at a certain point it just looked like someone smashing rodents. They were clearly out classed and couldn't do much of anything but... well, die.

Thankfully Saeyov was in the cage and clearly not apart of the bandits.

Not to say he didn't eye the newcomers warily. He didn't exactly want to go from from the pan and into the fire, so to say, but first things first. Out of the cage. He could figure things out from there.

He pressed against the bars a little when the bloody lady-thing come over to him, ears laid back, but he looked at her without otherwise flinching. It was a mess, obviously, but he didn't want her to know that he was afraid. While the haevar didn't think he'd be part of the body count, he didn't exactly feel good about who had 'saved' him, if that's what was really going on.

How much did he know about broken bones? Ah well. "Some." Very little. He could make a passable field medic until something better came along, but he wasn't going to openly admit to being utterly useless either.

@Kadakism @Nova_Eclipse

[Kadakism]

Belafay could see the brief wariness in the girl's -or boy's??- body language, and her own expression softened somewhat. "I did not mean to frighten you. My orders were clear." She gripped one of the cage's bars with her remaining hand and glanced over at Richter.

"I will free you, but I would ask that you help me tend to my master. I cannot properly care for his wounds with one arm and one eye. I do not think there is enough clay nearby for me to repair myself in a timely manner."

Whether or not Saeyov agreed or even acknowledged her request, Belafay gave the cage a tug and pulled the door open with a snap of the hinges. She cast it aside and took to Richter's side, watching him to see how he was faring.

@SanctifiedSavage @Nova_Eclipse