A Night of Unparalleled Fortune and Misfortune (KalthasxSilver)

[Garamond]

Kalthas bowed as she opened his gate. "I am forever in your debt," he said. With that he quickly left the cell, tying on his scabbard and sword as quickly as he could before following Silver up the stairs of the dungeon, his mail clinking with each step. He was not one much for stealth, but hoped that they might escape without much incident.

As they moved, Kalthas admired Silver's choice of weapons; daggers were risky weapons, but it seemed like she made up for that with pure skill and, of course, her magic. This was a novel concept to him; all the rules of swordplay he had learned throughout his life, for many years seemed somewhat irrelevant in the face of such a powerful force. He had no desire to fight her, even with his amulet, though he was rather curious as to whether he could defeat her in combat with his sword techniques. This thought spurred him onward, despite the dank gloom which encroached upon them as they made their escape.

[Blink]

The excitement of the entire event seemed to be radiating off of Silver. At war with herself once again she could not decide if this time she would only deflect. Of course she vowed never to harm another again, but at who's gain? Turning back she looked to the Knight but only for a moment. She wasn't quite sure what she was searching for with her gaze, but nonetheless the orchid of her iris's fell upon him briefly.

Turning back to the task at hand she began again slowly creeping up the stairs, wincing at the clacker coming from Kalthas's armor. Rolling her eyes she thought of how easily this would be should she be alone. Coming to the top of the stairs she poked her head around the bend, a long hallway lay in front of them, yet again the guards seemed to be somewhere else. "Bloody hell, do they really think we are that incompetent?" her voice a whisper in the corridor.

Signaling to Kalthas that there were no enemies in sight Silver took off in a sprint down the hallway. Her footsteps silent against the stone, for the wind would soften there touch to the ground. Once reaching the end of the hallway she pressed her back against the cold stone walls, her chest rising and falling from exertion.

All that now separated the two from freedom was the metal door before them, the droplets of rain falling from the sky easily seen through the bars. Silver stood as quietly as she could, the shoulders of two guards posted on each side of the outside of the door visible through the bars. Lifting a finger to her mouth she signaled to Kalthas to remain quiet.

At this moment she had to decide, it was either her or them. Next time she would not be so lucky as to be placed in such simple confinements. Her hands began to quiver before her, not from the chill of the rainy night, but from the fear of what she was about to do.

As if a fire had been lit inside of her Silver kicked the metal door open, startling the guards outside. Immediately she went for the guard on the right, pulling both of her daggers from their holsters and directing them towards the guard. For a moment she attempted to only deflect again, if not only to test his true abilities. Quickly, the sides of the battle changed as she began to direct the blades of her daggers towards him.

Even when it appeared she had missed or the guard had dodged a wound would still appear. As if the very stroke of her blade in a given direction could deliver a blow. Spinning around on her foot Silver finished him off, the guard falling to the ground. Whipping her head back towards the door she looked to see if Kalthas had made good work of the other. Her Silver hair clung to her skin, wet from the rain.

[Garamond]

Attempting to mask his footsteps as much as possible, Kalthas followed Silver as closely as he could. Like her, he was also suspicious of the lack of guards posted around, but was also thankful that the situation seemed to be in their favor. He sprinted after her, though lagged behind due to the heavier weight of his chainmail.

Kalthas saw Silver's signal, watching as she deftly handled the guard. He drew his sword quietly as she moved to engage the guard on the right, somewhat in awe of the grace and speed she possessed with her weaponry, though he did not have time to make note of the special technique she was using. He quickly moved to the guard on the left, who, as he was unaware, Kalthas drove his blade clean through the man's chest, then extracted the sword. Not as stylish, granted, but nonetheless effective.

The rain would make things difficult. They would need to find shelter before they got too soaked, especially since Kalthas was wearing mail and his sword was made of ordinary steel. It was also fairly cold in the rain.

"Let's make a break for the trees, get some distance, and then rest until this storm passes," he said. He noted that her hair retained its elegance even in the rain, though he imagined that in time he would begin to resemble something of a wet, dirty, steel-clad mop.

All the same, he began to make a break for the treeline, hoping she would follow.

[Blink]

Listening to the Knights words Silver nodded in acknowledgment before she herself began running for the trees. It felt as if they had been running for miles before Silver stopped in her tracks.

The terrain had begun to become a bit more rough as the mountain landscape began to take shape. Of course the only thing separating Sirantil Valley from Serendipity were miles of mountains, now visible even in the stormy night sky.

Silver's chest rose and fell as she attempted to catch her breathe, yet another reminder of how long it had been since she had been through an ordeal like this. Despite the obvious exertion  Silver's gaze scanned for a form of shelter. It did not take long for her eyes to lock onto a cavern ahead.

Without words she gestured towards the cavern for Kalthas before making her way out of the storm.

[Garamond]

Right as Kalthas was about to rest under a tree, he saw Silver take off again. He followed after, making his way through the wet brush around him as rain continued to pour down. He made a final dash across the small patch of open ground in between the woods and this cave, which would hopefully be a good resting place for the night.

Once inside, Kalthas took a moment to catch his breath; they had ran a considerable distance, which was no mean feat considering he was in a full suit of chainmail. He was soaked, as was his armor and his blade, and he wasted no time removing them, until he was down to his plain tunic, which he only kept on for modesty's sake. He would not be seen in such a way to such a woman, even though he respected her prowess in combat and the fact that she spared his life moments ago. Perhaps it was more of a favor to her, then, than modesty.

After a moment of collecting himself, he took a deep breath.
"We should get a fire going," he said, dreading the thought of venturing back into the rain to get tinder, but accepting that it might be necessary.

[Blink]

Once inside the cavern Silver was able to fully take in what kind of predicament the two strangers were in. Her gaze was set on the waterfall of rain pouring in front of the cave entrance. "Any trail we may have left behind will be washed away quickly in this type of  downpour."

The sound of Kalthas's armor clanking about on the stone floor reverberated off the cold walls. Silver crossed her arms across her chest as she continued to face the opening of the cavern. She listened to the Knight's statement about fire and was in complete agreement with him. Uncrossing her arms Silver turned towards him, her expression showing confusion seeing the man in only a tunic.

"So there is a body behind all the metal?" her voice somewhat sarcastic, yet bland. Noting his soaked chain mail Silver took into account her attire, no doubt fully saturated as well. Thankfully Silver was never one for dresses, as in this instance it would have been a complete obstacle to overcome. However, her brown leather shorts and long boots seemed to be dripping wet. Even the straps of her cloth halter were heavy on her body with the water soaking them, the brown fabric clinging to the natural shapes of her body.

"I'll be back in a moment" she muttered as she turned towards the opening. "Since I am still dressed its only logical for me to go." Before leaving she took her small leather bag and flung it towards one of the walls. Of course it would be a bit of a challenge collecting flammable materials in this weather but it was not impossible.

Once outside again Silver turned her attention towards the treeline ahead, the canopy of the trees most likely shielding the ground below from a large portion of rain fall. After what could have been 20 minutes or so Silver returned to the cave, her arms full of as much semi-dry wood she could manage to carry alone.

Releasing the tinder and letting it clank to the ground Silver walked towards her bag, kneeling down to dig through it. Standing back up Silver now held a black piece of flint in her hand, a useful tool she always carried with her. She walked over to the pile of wood she had just returned with, sitting down on her knees as she began organizing it into a tepee like structure for fire.

"You know it's times like this when it would have been more useful to be born with the talents of a fire fae..." she let out a light laugh. After a few strikes of her dagger on the flint a flame took form in the fire. Immediately the orange light dimly lit the cavern, the light casting shadows of the two on the walls. Taking in a deep breath Silver leaned back on her palms, water dripping from her hair and clothes onto the dirty cavern floor.

[Garamond]

Kalthas wondered about silver; wouldn't she get sick from all her wet clothing?

"There is indeed a body, one marked with cuts and sores from a half-lifetime of training. One which, along with my weapons and armor, needs the warm comfort of a fire before it wastes away. I shall retain my tunic for modesty's sake," he said. "I appreciate you retrieving the firewood; you are a good companion, Silver. I shall make sure our position here in this cave is not overtaken."

He watched her as she left the cave entrance, wondering how he might pass the time now. He was fairly soaked, and began to feel a bit chilled; to warm himself up, he found his sword, still resting in its sheath; he drew it and began to practice his moves, his boots scuffing against the cave floor as he swung his bastard sword in various cuts from different angles. These were all muscle memory for the knight; he was fairly young, and still in his prime, and he knew his sword well. He shuddered at the thought of being parted from it so far from the safety of civilization.

Not that Connlaoth held any refuge for him anymore. He was a knight who had abandoned his position; his social status was no higher than that of a commoner. He found himself now consorting with, of all types, mages. That one back in that tavern, and now this worker of wind magics, Silver... Kalthas hadn't realized just how many mages there actually were in Connlaoth, despite what essentially amounted to, at times, the genocide of anyone capable of even a spark of magic.

Kalthas wiped his forehead with his sleeve and proceeded to put away his blade, figuring that Silver would return shortly--at least, that's what he hoped. He laid out his armor and sword near the center of the cave, where he presumed they would set up the fire.

He watched as she laid out the firewood, then reached for some flint and lit a flame. He listened to her comment.

"Fire or no, your talents have spared both our lives tonight, it seems." He paused. "For that... I am most grateful, mage."

He moved his gear closer to the fire, before getting close to the fire to start drying himself off. He looked up at Silver after a moment.

"I know not which path you take, but I am headed to Serendipity," he said. "I would be honored if you would accompany me, if you so desired."

[Blink]

Silver listened intently as Kalthas spoke, the light of the fire reflecting on her skin. At his mention of Serendipity she shuttered, realizing that returning would mean facing her past. Leaning up off of her palms Silver pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them for warmth and comfort.

She took a moment to weigh her options. Perhaps it was time she went back, to where it all took place. Connlaoth had been her sanctuary, the place where she could make herself disappear and pretend any life before did not exist. Why had she ruined it all for a silly Knight? Could it have been her unconscious eagerness to get back into the game? These and many more questions running through her mind.

Silvers thought process was very short lived as her body began to quiver from the cold. Her muscles tightened as she tried to grip herself tighter.

"Enough of this" she sighed as she stood up and reached down to her boots. Quickly she started unlacing them from her knees to her ankles before slipping them off of her feet. Setting them to the side but within reach of the fire she moved to her shorts and then her shirt, pulling the wet fabric as it stuck to her skin. Beneath were very light colored cloth garments, just enough fabric to cover her indecencies.

Carefully she laid her clothing out so that it may dry by fire before she sat back down on the ground, once again pulling her knees to her chest. Bits of her silverish hair clung to her shoulders, also still wet from the rain. Without even acknowledging how little she was now wearing Silver went on to answer Kathas's question.

"I suppose a trip home would not be horrible" afterwards she buried her head between her knees and chest, hiding her expression from him.

[Garamond]

Kalthas averted his eyes somewhat, more out of respect than embarrassment, though he hadn't had much more of a woman than the occasional dance in his youth. She was, in his eye, quite alluring, but his heart weighed too much for any thoughts of romance to sink in. No, she was his comrade in this. They were still fighting a battle.

"You seem... hesitant, Silver," Kalthas said, making no mention of how little clothing she now wore. "I expect the journey through the mountains by itself will be quite dangerous, though hopefully Serendipity is a little more, well... civilized. I am the one in your debt--but should you accompany me, I should be most grateful once again. But you have no obligation. I will not ask your reasons; I myself bear secrets I do not wish to recount."

He gazed into the fire, losing himself as memories of the mages he had killed began to creep into his mind. To occupy himself, he began to sharpen his sword with a whetstone, making long, deliberate strokes on the blade rather than quick ones. He wasn't really trying to sharpen the blade too much, rather he simply wished to keep his mind off his memories. He wasn't quite free of his guilt yet.

[Blink]

The sound of the blade stroking the whetstone echoed off the empty cold walls. Silver remained with her head down for quite a while before lifting it to look at Kalthas. For the most part her body was dry now, only her hair just lightly damp. Standing up she grabbed her half dry shorts and slid them on, quickly following the action with her top. Leaving her boots to dry a bit longer she walked past them back over to her place by the fire.

Copying Kalthas's purpose she dropped her daggers in front of herself before picking one up and running the tip of her finger from her other hand down the blade. She then held her fingers only a few inches from the blade before curling them slightly, as if rubbing the air mimicking the shape of her blade. A very faint sound almost like the grinding of a blade rang from her dagger as she continued, only stopping to exam the blade with her finger once more.

She called it air blade, her ability to bend the air into a sharp burst. Over the years she had perfected her technique, not really focusing near as much attention on any other attribute. "So what do you hope to find in Serendipity?" her eyes remained focused on sharpening her blades as she directed the question at him. "Do you have someone you know? Or are you just looking for a new start?"

[Garamond]

Kalthas occasionally lifted his eyes up from the fire, eventually finishing sharpening his sword, which he then sheathed for good measure. His thoughts were interrupted as Silver asked her questions.

"Absolution, I suppose," he said. "And a way of life different than this one I have known. I want to raise my sword for a cause that is greater than the petty squabbles of a count or duke, even if that cause is simply my own purpose."

He sighed, then looked up at Silver.

"I know little of Serendipity, other than that it is a land of magics. But it cannot possibly be a more violent, dangerous place than Connlaoth."

[Blink]

Silver shrugged at his comments, not being able to help but chime in. "Everyone assumes that the Fae are so peaceful" she rolled her eyes at the thought of peace keeping mages. All of them creating butterfly's and rainbows. "No one ever thinks that perhaps some Fae seek out a world of no magic. If I were born without abilities I most likely would have ended up a Fae killer.... some of us deserve to die." her gaze traveled downwards to her bare feet.

If Silver from the past could hear her now.... no doubt she would have slapped her across the face. Silver used to love her abilities, and she did assume that all Fae had a special bond the kept them together. Realizing her way of thinking was traveling a bit on the dark side she turned to Kalthas, having already placed her daggers away. "... but I can definitely see the appeal"

She tried to plaster a fake smile upon her face as she continued "I imagine anyone looking for a fresh start would travel where the beliefs are opposite of what they were raised with."

With this Silver kept her eyes on Kalthas, this being the first moment since they met that she actually had a chance to look him over without other thoughts clouding her judgment. He truly was a handsome man, one that in the past Silver would have most likely fawned over. Well that was up until she had met Jacobi.

Her thought process froze at the thought... putting a complete halt on her feelings. Quickly Silver's attitude turned cynical once more, seeing the negative in everything. Standing up she turned her attention to the wall, all in an attempt to hide her face from him.

"I do need to go back, there is someone I need to visit..." It had been three years since she last visited his grave. In fact she had neglected paying her respects to all of them for a long time. Perhaps for some reason the gods had sent this man into her life as a sign. A sign that she needed to lay some feelings to rest.

[Garamond]

Kalthas listened to her story; it seemed that the both of them were dealing with internal conflicts of sorts, torn about what they should do next. Going to Serendipity was a way to meet mages, to humanize the enemy he had been taught for so long was the epitome of evil and wrongness and all manner of horrible things. Silver was probably right, there were probably mages out there who were just as bad or even worse than some of Connlaoth's most vicious and cruel nobility, but Kalthas didn't want to hate people just because they could use magic. Especially since he couldn't.

Then he thought about Silver's allusion to her past life; it was rather uncertain to him what exactly she meant, though she seemed intent on pursuing it.

"An old friend, or an enemy?" He asked. "Either way... if we make it through the mountains, I will help you find this someone, if you would permit me."

[Blink]

Continuing to look at the wall Silver listened as Kalthas spoke. Dropping her head a bit she recoiled at his question. "An old... friend" her voice was soft and calm, completely void of any emotion. Her only enemy being the man hunting wench that forced her to take everything she held dear and throw it away. She would never willingly seek that woman out, but if there paths ever crossed again it would surely be a fight to the death.

"So we head out when the rain clears? Or should we bunker down here for a few days so we are sure the coast is clear?" her voice now full of fake enthusiasm she turned towards him, as if the emotion she was previously portraying had vanished. He must think her to be a bipolar freak, not being able to keep her emotions in check.

"Either way is fine for me..." she paused crossing her arms in front of herself  "I.... I guess your not the worst company to keep" she paused crossing her arms in front of herself  smiling again... but this time is was not as fake as the others. For some reason this man made her feel only a sliver of hope for a future at a normal life. Perhaps he could show her that even though you lose everything you can keep going on. That is what he was doing wasn't it? Even though his loss was by choice, at some point it could possibly feel the same. As if you had no family, no friends and that everything you once knew and held dear to your heart was but a memory.

[Garamond]

Kalthas smiled at Silver, his eyes glistening with the fire, as a determined expression covered his face. He reached for his sword and armor, standing up.
"Let us head out now, lest we be caught again. And Silver--" he paused, looking at her. "I can think of no finer ally than a skilled fighter and mage such as yourself. Together, we shall brave the dangerous path through the mountains, and together we shall reach the lands of Serendipity beyond, to find whatever fate awaits us in that strange land of many magics. We will meet your friend, and whatever other adventures find us along the way! Let today be the dawn of a new era, one where two warriors carve a path to their destiny."

He gathered up his gear, taking a few minutes to put on his armor. He wondered if his speech had been too much; either way, he hoped that his words had rung true, and that their journey would be successful. Once, for the first time in his life, he really felt like a knight.

[Blink]

Silver stood there wide eyes as Kalthas spoke. Even after he finished she continued to stand there silent and expressionless for a good moment before falling over in a full on laugh. Going down to her knees she grabbed her stomach as she continued to uncontrollably laugh. "Oh Kalthas...." she managed to get out before starting to laugh again.

Slowly she was able to regain her wits as she wiped tears of joy from her lids. "Thank you for that... I have not laughed in a really long time..." it was obvious he was taking all of this a bit more serious than she was. And the attitude she carried at this very moment almost mimicked the girl she was years ago. Happy and carefree...

She almost felt a bit guilty, of course everything he had stated was true. However, he said it with such passion that it almost made Silver feel she was at a public speaking event. "As I am sure you have already figured out Kalthas I am not the high and noble type.... I don't speak with the mannerisms you are used to. I was raised in taverns and nature." she lifted her hands as if to gesture their surroundings. "I have never even set foot into the kind of home I am sure you are from unless I was up to no good."

Softly she began to walk around the edges of the cavern, preparing a speech of her very own. "If I travel with you I am sure there will be things that I do that you will not agree with. As I said before I was raised very differently than you. You can tell just by the way we talk... you are so refined and I am just... I'm not" she stopped her pacing in the cavern before continuing with her speech.

"So you must decide if I am the type of person you want to be in your company." raising a brow she looked the Knight up and down. This whole time she remained barefoot as she had not put her boots back on yet. "But I promise you that from the moment we step foot out of this cavern that I will be by your side. I will not leave you until you ask me to do so...."

[Garamond]

It was impossible for Kalthas to not feel as if he had perhaps misspoken, or been too dramatic, so filled was he with the moment. He intently listened to Silver as she began to muster a reply, and he began to feel a rising feeling in his chest as she spoke to him. Circumstances had brought them together here, in tenuous firelight, contemplating a dangerous trek through the mountains to reach a foreign land, but it seemed as though the circumstances were fortunate, as Kalthas listened to her give an oath of sorts of her own.

"I would gladly have your blades at my side, for you are a warrior of excellent skill. I am honored, Silver. I myself am a rogue knight, and cannot rightfully judge the actions of one who has led the life of a commoner, criminal, or whatever else. In these dark and uncertain times, I am most fortunate to call you ally."

He stared out into the moonlit night, where the rain had calmed down somewhat and crickets chirped in the fields. He then gave Silver an honest smile.

"Let us make like blades in the dark, and cut a path to our destinies."

[Blink]

Silver nodded in agreement as she began to make her way out of the cave. Rolling her eyes she turned around with a smile on her face before going back in and grabbing her boots. Quickly she slid them on one by one and grabbed her bag before once again heading out.

Instead of running she just walked as she took in the wonderful aroma of wet grass. "I think we are okay to walk for now. Let us save our energy for if a pursuit of confrontation occurs." she turned her gaze to Kalthas to acknowledge him.

Biting her lip she continued on silently, waiting for Kalthas to spark conversation.