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Bandits and Bridges. [open/PM to join!]

Started by Rhindeer, April 04, 2018, 04:25:06 PM

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Rhindeer

This was a particularly dangerous road, but Tessa had crossed it many times before and had no choice but to do so. The other roads were longer, less direct--and she needed to get to Reajh fast. Desperation and necessity had her chancing the more dangerous path and hoping that this time she was as lucky as she had been the last few times she'd been forced to choose the more dangerous route in favor of speed.

God was with her, and He always provided. He'd protected her before, had given her this second chance, and she had faith that He would now.

That night, wolves had descended upon her flock. She'd been tired and while she was conditioned to sleep light and stay aware even in sleep, exhaustion had made her drift into a deeper sleep than intended. She'd awoken to the panicked bleating of her flock and the snarls and growls of her sheepdog, Fable, as she fought off the pack--which was blessedly small and young and gave up as soon as it got what it had come for.

In the end, she'd lost one lamb and Fable had been injured; she couldn't walk right and had some bad cuts elsewhere, and a lifetime of experience with animals told Tessa that if the wounds weren't properly treated, they could go septic.

And she didn't know what she'd do if she lost that dog; she'd been her companion for the better part of six years, raised from a puppy. She was a gift from God, protecting her when she needed it and keeping her company even when others had rejected her.

"C'mon, girl. Almost there," Tessa called to the dog, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. She could see the city in the distance; maybe an hour more and they'd be there. Fable only whined in response, limping along in obvious misery.

If the dog hadn't weighed almost as much as Tessa did, she would have carried her.

Minutes passed in relative silence with no sign of trouble and Tessa started to relax, though she still remained alert and scanned the flat lands ahead for any signs of danger.

It was only when they reached a bridge that crossed over a small section of stream that the bandits revealed themselves, stepping out from the cover of the bridge.

There were three of them, and each of them was stocky and well built, a couple with the scars to show they'd done this before and come out on top. And there she was, a lone girl with a small flock, money and meat on legs.

Their grins only broadened when they noticed the mage's mark embroidered onto the breast of her tunic.

"Well hello, little witch," one of the men sneered, hand playing with the dagger at his belt as he approached. "There's a price for crossin', y'know. Time to pay up."

Panic gripped Tessa, but she gripped her crook tightly and backed up slowly. She wasn't defenseless and she'd had to defend herself against trouble before. The problem was that she'd always had Fable to help her and the dog was in no condition to fight.

And the only other defense she had was one she dared not touch. Ever. Not even if the alternative was death.

Better death than damnation.

"S-stay back! I'm warnin' ya!" she said, ready to start swinging if they got close and praying that they wouldn't. She was terrified of them--but terrified of what could happen if she did act. A mage's word wasn't worth much; if she hurt them, she could easily take the fall for it, even beyond what they could inflict on her. It was all too easy to convince others that a mage had used magic in self-defense even if they hadn't, and that was what made her pause, made her lower her crook.

As much as death was better than damnation, she still didn't want to die.

"Or what? You'll bewitch us? Zap us with lightnin'?" The man's grin broadened. "Go ahead. I dare ya."

They closed in, and Tessa said a silent prayer right before she gave Fable the command to attack, what little good it would do and no matter how it terrified her that she might not come out of this.

Everything happens for a reason.
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Lowen Thorn

Epirus walked the path before him at a leisurely pace. He had no where in particular to go, no direction, so he just walked whatever stray roads he came across. He was out of work. Of course, while trapped in his human form things such as food and shelter have become a necessity to survive - the former in particular. But, despite being in human form, these necessities weren't as urgent as your every day human folk, so he felt comfortable roaming for a bit longer.

Six hours now?

Yes, he had been walking the, for the most part, uneventful path for a little over six human hours. His forward gaze dropped to his stomach as it began to growl. "Oh dear," he muttered softly. He placed a hand over his stomach almost as if to quiet it. He would be needing work soon. Someone would have to die.

Humanity. It never ceased to amaze him how many folk would pay their hard-earned money to have another's life taken from this Earth. He had no reason to object, though. He needed the money, and one life ending on this plane just meant another one beginning on the next. The demon in him could not see how this logic would be considered odd, flawed, or just downright wrong by most.

"Well hello, little witch," the man heard just ahead of him.

Looking forward, he spotted three men in front of him, each facing in the same direction he was going. He looked further. Correction: three men, a young woman, and a dog. Curious.


Rhindeer

For all that Fable was hurt, she loved her human, and the poor dog let out a vicious growl before she launched herself at the nearest man.

It was a growl that turned into a high pitched yelp and the sickening crack of ribs when that man swung his cudgel and struck Fable in the side, hard, sending the dog rolling over the grass. Tessa screamed, "Fable!" and that was all the distraction needed as the three men swarmed.

With two men bearing cudgels, and one a wicked knife, they came at her, and Tessa was woefully unprepared. She'd made some big threats and she didn't know how to back up any of them, except to swing her crook and hope it hit, hope it would be enough to make them rethink, but one armed man struck her crook with his cudgel so hard she could feel the force of it through her arms clear to her teeth. Her crook went spiraling out of her hands, she was still reeling when another man grabbed her from behind and yanked her arms behind her back hard enough that she yelped.

"You're warnin' us, eh?" he laughed into her ear,  breath rank. "What a joke! Where's your fire and brimstone, eh, witch?"

"Please, lemme go!" Tessa started to struggle, but he tightened his grip until the pain made her gasp and freeze, afraid he might pop her shoulders right out of their sockets. "Please," she tried again, voice choked with fear. "Please, I just wanna go home, I don't wanna fight, I don't wanna hurt anyone, please!"

"Please, please, please!" the man mocked, voice pitched to imitate her. "Think the mages what killed my wife listened to her 'please'?"

One of the men shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Mark, enough. Let's just take her shit and go."

"No, I think I wanna have fun with this one," the man gripping her, Mark, said. He adjusted his hold on her, shifting her wrists over to one hand, and drew his knife with the other. "What better way to send a message than by using one of their own little bitches? Do to them what they did to mine."

"She's got the mark. She's a church mage," the other man said. "It ain't like those others."

"Don't matter. They're all the fuckin' same. What say you, Alaric?"

Alaric, the third man, had been silent up until then, tapping his palm with his heavy cudgel. He shrugged his massive shoulders and spat off to the side. "Don't see no difference between 'em," he said, and walked closer. He smiled wickedly. "Bring 'er with us. We could use a little fun."

"I don't like this," the nameless man said, shaking his head. "Don't like it at all."

"Then don't fuck 'er," Mark snapped.

Tessa's blood went cold, heart beating fast as a wild bird trapped in a glass cage. W...what? Oh God. Oh God. They weren't talking about...?

Her mind raced, but her body was frozen in panic. She needed to do something. Needed to fight back. Magic. She had magic. But could she use it? Was it worth the cost of her soul? Would Ansgar forgive her? They were going to hurt her, kill her. Oh God, there was no doubt about it. But could she?

"Please, God, help me," she prayed out loud, eyes clenched shut, praying for the strength to fight--or the strength to die.
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Lowen Thorn

Epirus watched the events unfold as he drew near. The dog was in pain and the woman was panicked. He could hear the sound of her heart pounding all the way from where he was standing. Oh! They were in danger. Of course. It was a robbery, or worse. Not that it concerned him.

Or did it?

A gift from her Gods? He needed money. She needed help. Perhaps he happened upon a win-win situation here.

Drawing his flute from his pocket, his eyes flashed red and the wooden instrument transformed to a long whip made of thorns, dragging the ground behind him as he narrowed in on the three men.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said. "Do you require any assistance?"

His voice was calm, but cut through the air that commanded attention. Being the very unhuman human he currently was, he set his gaze on the woman, ignoring the three bandits, patiently awaiting her response rather than acting.

Rhindeer

A dead silence fell over the four—the three bandits and the girl—when a newcomer's voice cut in. Tessa's eyes snapped open and the bandits facing her turned toward the voice. Behind her, Mark growled something under his breath, and she whimpered as his hand tightened around her wrists.

"Mind your own business, boy," he snapped at the silver-haired man, and Tessa flinched and held her breath when she felt the cold press of steel at her throat. "Ain't no concern of yours. Girl's mine. Move along if ya know what's good for ya."

He nodded at his companions, and Alaric and the unnamed man both readied their weapons.

But despite the clear threat, Tessa did her best to meet the stranger's eyes and gave the barest of nods, mouthing the word "yes." God yes. Was this a sign? Was God answering her prayers? Maybe she might not have to make that terrible choice after all. She hadn't seen him pull out the flute, hadn't seen it transform. She hadn't even seen him approach, occupied as she was.

It was like he'd been sent just for her.

[the bandits are just NPCs. Feel free to play them or do whatever you like with them!]
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Lowen Thorn

The man acknowledged the girl's plea with a soft nod, ignoring the men again. "Very well."

It happened quickly. Epirus' lashed his arm forward and the whip snatched the man, Mark, by his neck and wrapped around him like a snake on prey. First, the man dropped the blade he was holding to Tessa, and then he let go of her entirely as he gasped for air. With a gentle tug, the bandit fell to the ground, pawing at the whip and kicking his legs in the dirt as he attempted to break loose.

"W-What the hell?" the unnamed man said with a shaken voice.

"You're going to pay for that!" Alaric barked.

The two men quickly glanced at each other in disbelief before turning their attention back to the demon, preparing for attack. Epirus' eyes flashed red once more, shooting the men a stern glare.

"You two should think very carefully about your next move," Epirus said calmly. "I would begin weighing the outcomes of what you could do and what you should do, and ask yourself: Is this worth it?"

[Sounds good, thanks!]

Rhindeer

With a gasp, Tessa staggered back and felt at her throat, which only suffered a shallow nick.  But her eyes were wide with awe and horror both as her attacker writhed in the dirt, thorns drawing blood as he gagged and choked and swore.

Who...who WAS her savior?

She had no time to wonder, though. This man had bought her time and the other men, now scared and angry, might still want to finish the job—even the hesitant man might rethink his morals, now that he was under attack. Turning on her heel, legs trembling but holding steady, she rushed to her dog and found the sheepdog curled on her side and whining. She was hurt, worse now than ever, but she was alive and that’s what mattered.

“Fable, girl, c’mon, you gotta get up! I can’t carry you!” Tessa said, falling to her knees and nudging the dog gently. “C’mon, just a bit farther!”

Lucky for her, the bandits had their hands full. Alaric let out a snarl and raised his cudgel, but the nameless man grabbed his shoulder. “Didja see that?! Didja fuckin’ see his eyes! He’s a fuckin’ demon, let’s go, man!”

“Get off me, Trent!” Alaric growled and shook him off. “He’s got Mark! Gonna be a fuckin’ coward?”

And without another moment’s hesitation, he launched himself at the man, weapon swinging, and with heavy reluctance even Trent joined in. Loyalty to his gang won out even over self preservation in the end.
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Lowen Thorn

Epirus let out a soft sigh as the men rushed him. "As you wish," he said sternly, whipping around to greet their attack.

Crack.

The sound of Mark's neck breaking cut through the air as Epirus used the whip to fling his now dead body at his companions. Mark collided with the men, sending them tumbling to the ground. As both they regained their composure, Trent looked upon their fallen friend with horrified eyes.

"F-Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he cried out in a panic. "He fuckin' killed him!"

Alaric peered up at Epirus with rage, getting to his feet and readying his weapon once again. "You're going to pay for that you ba-"

The bandit couldn't finish his sentence before the demon's followed attack. He was next. The whip strapped to the man's throat and Epirus drew him in to arms reach. Using his free hand, he sunk his fingers into Alaric's eyes while simultaneously muffling the man's agonized howl with his palm.

Epirus pushed the man away to reveal the now nightmarish reality. Alaric no longer had eyes.

Turning to face Trent, he pulled at his whip to serve Alaric the same fate as he did Mark.

Crack.


Rhindeer

Trent let out a wordless scream of terror and dropped his weapon, turning on his heel to run. With his companions dead, he had no reason to stay--and he was operating on pure instinct. Nothing was worth sharing their fate, and he'd told them not to! He'd told them!

He wasn't the only one reeling in horror. The shouts, the snap of bone, had all carried to Tessa, and she made the mistake of looking back.

Just in time to see Alaric's neck snap, blood streaming from pits that had once held eyes, and Trent run off in horror. Alaric's body dropped to the ground where Mark's lay not feet away, head also twisted at an unnatural angle. Both motionless. Both very dead.

She wished she hadn't looked.

Tessa's stomach lurched violently and suddenly and she clapped both hands over her mouth as bile burned her throat. She'd...she'd never witnessed a murder before. Never even seen a dead body that wasn't an animal. And while those men had been out to hurt her, it was still terrifying in a new way, the ease at which her rescuer had dispatched them. They were dead. He'd killed them. Violently.

She stared up at her rescuer, dead silent and trying to breathe so she didn't vomit, torn between terror and relief and not knowing which one to settle on.
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Lowen Thorn

The whip released its grasp from Alaric's neck, slowly retracting back into its flute form. His lips curled into a small, satisfied smile as he watched the last man flee. He momentarily considered going after him, but there was no need. The woman was safe from harm, and the bandit wouldn't dare come back after what just happened to his comrades.

Pocketing his flute, he shifted to the young woman and slowly approached. He studied her face for a few brief seconds before turning his attention to the dog.

"The dog is injured," he spoke softly. "I can end her suffering if you would like, though you may want to look the other way."

His eyes were void of any sort of emotion as he looked on the dog, ready to put her out of her misery if the girl obliged.

Rhindeer

This time, Tessa did see the whip's transformation, and she sucked in a breath. Was that...was that magic? To go from a whip to a flute? Her stomach lurched, her heart kicking it up another notch, and though every instinct screamed at her to run (sure, he had just saved her, but that did little to assuage the terror she felt at seeing two men killed! Even if they were men who had clearly planned on doing...awful things to her) she couldn't leave Fable.

Staring up at him with wide eyes as he approached, she shrank back a little, nervous and skittish after all the violence--not just what he'd inflicted, but what she'd almost endured. But then he spoke.

And a fresh jolt of horror shot through her, laced with anger.

"NO!" she snapped, and threw herself over the dog. "No. No, you can't! She's gonna be okay! We just have to get to the city and...and someone can help!" She bit her lip, fighting back tears. Was Fable really that bad off for him to offer that? Tessa had some basic knowledge of medicine. She could help deliver difficult lambs, she could treat minor injuries and ailments, but this was more severe than she was used to.

"Just...help me get her to the city. Please."
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Lowen Thorn

Epirus stopped with a puzzled look on his face.

No? Well, that did not make sense to him at all. The dog was in pain, and just prolonging the pain trying to get her to the nearest city would just make her miserable. Humans. Humans and their compassion, and unwillingness to let go. He would never understand it.

"Sure," he said calmly.

His stomach growled, reminding him why he helped the girl in the first place.

"But first," he started, kneeling down to meet her at eye level. "I will require something in return."

Rhindeer

...Something in return?

Tessa froze, and a new knot formed in her belly at those words. She met his eyes and swallowed. Then he hadn't helped her out of altruism after all.

"But...I..." She looked at Fable, then down at herself, at her patchwork trousers and dirty tunic, at the coin purse at her belt that held only a few coppers. Then she looked off to the sheep grazing not far from them, not a care in the world, oblivious to their shepherdess's plight. Taking a deep breath, she raised her eyes back to his.

"I don't have anything."
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Lowen Thorn

'If she does not have anything to offer me, then why did she ask for my help?'

His eyes were in their normal state of steely blue as his gaze stayed locked onto the young woman he just rescued, completely oblivious to anything else around them. He studied her face for a few more moments. She was obviously frightened, which is not a huge stretch considering what she just witnessed. Perhaps he shouldn't be so needlessly violent in the future, he thought.

He sighed, and placed a hand on the nervous girl's shoulder. "Do not worry," he said in a somewhat reassuring tone. "I do not mean you any harm. But, I need food. If I were to take you and your dog to the city, and get her the help she needed, could you help me out?"


Rhindeer

Tessa flinched when he touched her shoulder, jumpy as hell even though the man had showed no signs of violence toward her. But she had seen what he was capable of--and he had casually offered to kill her dog! Whether he intended her harm or not, he was dangerous, so she would have to be careful, lest that violence be directed at her. But that was Tessa's default setting, anyway. Caution. People could be awful toward marked mages, and the violence and paranoia had only increased with the war. She had experienced her share of prejudice, all her life if she was honest, but today's encounter had been the worst.

But this man...who was he? With his strange flute-turned-whip, was...he a mage? Unmarked?

She swallowed.

"I...yes?" she answered, voice a croak. "Ya just need food? That's all?" She blinked up at him, and then let out a nervous laugh and a sigh of relief. The way he had asked before, she had thought he'd want something bigger! Thought she had just accrued a debt she could never pay. But food? She could offer food.

"I've got food. It's...it's not much, but I've got, um, apples."

Rising to her feet, she crossed away from him, where she had dropped her small traveling pack when the bandits attacked. She didn't usually carry much on her but the clothes on her back, one change of clothes, and bedding for sleeping. There were little halfway houses along her route that she took to staying at, that other shepherds and travelers also used and generally kept stocked, and she knew where other natural shelters lay. She lived off the food she could scavenge--wild fruits and tubers, animals Fable caught, milk from her sheep--and traveled light. The apples she had picked a few miles back, and she pulled them both out and brought them back over to him.
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Lowen Thorn

Nervous little thing.

Epirus watched in silence as the woman took the apples out of her bag, and returned to offer them up to him. He smiled at the offer, but only took one - sinking his teeth it to it almost immediately. With a large bite, excess juice slipped down his chin and and it continued to do so until there was nothing left of it.

"Thank you," he finally said after finishing the fruit. "You should eat the other one. You will need the strength for the trip to the city, and we can find more food after we tend to the dog. Do you need me to carry her?"

Rhindeer

Nervous, indeed, and she was still nervous as she watched him eat. Just one? Hopefully it was enough. But at his suggestion that she eat, too, she shook her head.

"I'll be okay," she said, and quickly put the apple away. Truth be told, she hadn't eaten for hours and had been quite hungry before the assault. But after being threatened with rape and death, after seeing her poor dog brutalized, after seeing several men get killed, she felt like she'd just throw up anything she put in her belly. It was strange how that worked, that she felt even more afraid and off balance now that the threat was over. Probably because now she had time to actually process everything that had happened, and everything that had almost happened.

If this man hadn't come when he had...

Her stomach gave another violent twist and she swallowed hard against the bile burning her throat. "I'm not really hungry. Um, I...I'd appreciate it if you're able to carry her. She's too big for me."

Another deep breath. She looked up at him, wringing her hands together. "Thank you, by the way," she said. "Truly. I wish I had more to offer, but I just...I appreciate this. If you hadn't come when ya did..." She shuddered. "Thank you."
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Lowen Thorn

Apples never filled anyone up, but he already offered the other one up to the girl and had no intention on taking it back. She was obviously hungry too, even if the shock of what she had just seen momentarily wiped that feeling away. "You'll pass out if you don't eat soon," he ignored her gratitude, kneeling to examine the dog. "I don't know if I can carry both of you."

Carefully, he scooped the dog up from the soil and cradled her gently in arms.

"Lead the way, uh.." he trailed off, giving her a quick glance. "Name?"

Rhindeer

"Tessa," she answered distractedly as she watched him scoop up Fable, chewing her lip with concern. Fable was in bad shape, yelping in pain as she was moved, but she was too weak to snap at the man. God, she wished there were something she could do for her, some way she could help, even if just to alleviate her pain. But if wishes were coin, she would be rich.

Or, at least, she wouldn't be a mage.

"And you don't gotta worry about carrying me. Just Fable. I'm okay, really. They didn't...you got here just in time," she finished with a shudder, swallowing hard as she was hit once again by how close she'd come to death. God. She knew the man was probably right, that she should eat, but she wasn't sure she could without retching. Her stomach felt twisted, her pulse still throbbing in her ears. There was no way. No way.

Get it together, Tessa.

With a deep breath, she rolled her shoulders back and straightened her spine. "Okay. Ah, the city. It's...it's this way."

She turned to lead, but not before she cast a look back to her flock, cupped a hand around her mouth, and let out a, "Whoop! Whoop!" The sheep soon came running, bunched together and anxious, and Tessa began to lead her flock toward the city.

"Don't think I caught your name," she said, tossing a look over at the man.
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