Bad Memories

[λ]

Agh... she went and asked it...
Tyrna laughed slightly.
"Well... It's not a very pleasant story, especially to people in your profession I suppose... but if you want to hear it, I don't mind telling you I guess."
Where should I start... Should I say the whole story? Or just the little bit where I got my neck split open?
"So..., alright. I guess I'll start from when I got caught? Well, when I was ten, me and my siblings were attacked by assassins, and ...."

Tyrna still remembered it rather clearly.
There were three assassins. They had walked into the shack unannounced. There was a flash of a silver blade, and Reyn fell down, blood pouring out of his neck. Tyrna jumped at the man, but was kicked aside and he had smashed into the stone wall.
.........
When he came to, Allyr was already dead, lying in a pool of his own blood, and Mela had a knife imbedded in her skull. Tyrna had snapped. Everything after that was fuzzy, but he did remember the feeling of metal sinking into the flesh, and a cry of pain, which quickly faded into silence. The next time he woke up, he was in that place.

He could feel his neck prickling again.
"... and I got one of them after they killed my family, so they took me and tried to train me to become a replacement. And while I was there, they cut me across the neck when I tried to kill one of them. I don't know why it hasn't healed yet though."
Tyrna paused for a moment.
"Ah, right. That's also why I'm leaving tomorrow by the way. They got enough information on my whereabouts and I don't really want to deal with them yet."
Tyrna tried to fake a nonchalant tone, but it was apparent it wasn't really working.

[aelin]

Magic user or not - this man clearly felt feelings the same as she. Ehiela paused at the hint of fear that was in Tyrna's voice. Assassins had killed his family and he had still provided safety for her while she nursed her own injuries. The fact that he was taking care of his enemy was enough proof for Ehiela that he had a pretty big heart. They hadn't talked about where they were from and part of her wondered if it was men from her own Keep. Hopefully not. Everyone at the Assassin's Keep had a hard gleam in their eyes and would cut down anyone. Ehiela had always been against killing children though, sickness rolled in her belly.

"That's strange...your wound not healing." She didn't bother asking why his siblings had been targeted or the details of how he, at ten, had escaped three highly trained killers. Maybe the same way she had when she was a child. A familiar sorrow filled her as she thought of what this man's life might be like had his family not been slaughtered just like her own.

"Where is the Keep that had claimed you located?" Perhaps she could return and speak with her old master and have him cause some damage for being so dishonorable. But one thing assassins didn't know much about was honor. It had been two years since she had decided to leave the Keep and venture off on her own, accepting high profile jobs that had become the main support in her life.

"My parents were murdered when I was seven. I found them..." Her voice was small as she offered up her own information. If this was a night to share sorrowful stories then she had her fair share. "I became a husk of myself and the only place who wanted to deal with a child like me was the Assassin's Keep in Connlaoth. I was raised there - the King of Assassin's taking me on as his apprentice." She glanced down to where Tyrna lay to see his reaction. Perhaps he would kill her in her sleep.

"Anyways," She said as she cleared her throat and readjusted the covers over herself, "I'm headed back towards Connloath tomorrow perhaps you could find sanctuary over there?"

[λ]

"Hm..."
So...she has almost identical circumstances as me, but in her case the assassins were her saviors... Heh, in that way we're polar opposites.
Tyrna felt like it was a bad joke. No matter though, she was an ally for now, he wouldn't sweat the small stuff. He was tempted to say something along the lines of a condolence, but he knew how much he hated people giving him pity, and he figured she would think the same. He wondered who it was who killed her parents, but decided not to ask.

"...The keep I was part of was in the Moraki Desert. I don't know exactly where, but it was in some large cavern."
Tyrna narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied Ehiela for any sign of recognition. From what he could tell, she had never heard of it before, but he couldn't be sure. He let out a sigh.

"And as for Connlaoth..."
Tyrna paused for a moment and pondered.
They won't expect me in Connlaoth because that country hates magic users... And if I keep my head down, they'll never find me until I'm ready for them... But I can't make any screw ups. They'll find me as soon as I use magic.
Tyrna figured it was a gamble worth taking.
"I'd be in your debt (again) if you'd let me go with you."

[aelin]

Ehiela had heard stories of the Moraki Desert but had never met anyone who had ventured that far. That desert was in a literal crack of earth and Ehiela could only imagine the brutalities that happened in such a far off place.

She turned from her side, facing Tyrna, onto her back and looked up at the peeling paint on the ceiling. She knew he had magic but he didn't know that she knew. Bringing him to Connlaoth could be a death sentence for him. If anyone found out she brought him in then it would spell death for her as well. Part of her knew she was making the stupidest choice ever but she spoke anyways, "We leave at dawn."

It was an effort to relax enough to sleep. The sound of Tyrna's breathing filled her ears as she strained to hear any sudden sounds within the house. Time passed her slowly as she begged for sleep, tossing herself back and forth to find the most comfortable position. She thought of the possibilities that Connlaoth would bring. Perhaps she would bring him in and leave him to fend for himself, that's what he would do to her probably. Her thoughts drifted into pointless visions as sleep finally claimed her. 

Ehiela wasn't sure when she fell asleep but when she opened her eyes she found sunlight.

[λ]

It was still pitch black outside when Tyrna woke up.
Can't say I'm not nervous I guess, Tyrna thought.

He cracked his neck, and sat up. Ehiela was still asleep. He removed his blanket quietly, and silently walked out of the room. When he reached the entrance of the house, he cracked open the front door and walked outside. He could not see or hear anything, save for a single locust crying out in the distance. He sat down on the steps, closed his eyes, and concentrated on the noise.
.....
There was nothing. Even the locust had stopped. It was rather peaceful, he supposed. He turned around and began to open the door.

The sound of cloth dragging on the ground suddenly reached Tyrna's ears. He quietly let go of the door handle. A knife slipped into his hand, and Tyrna held his breath.
A beggar walked by, mumbling almost inaudibly to herself. Tyrna scrutinized her, all the while keeping deathly still. Had her eyes moved in his direction? He could to be sure. The beggar continued walking, until Tyrna could not detect her at all.

Should I have knocked her out? wondered Tyrna. No normal beggar would walk around alone at night, let alone a female beggar, especially in a city like Essyrn.
However, it was too late, so he decided to let it go and walked back into the house. He couldn't have been noticed anyway.
Tyrna smirked. They probably regretted teaching him how to hide effectively.
He turned around one last time and looked at the city.
I'll definitely come back, he swore to himself.

It took another hour for Ehiela to wake up. When she did, Tyrna was waiting for her, ready to go.

[aelin]

Judging by the brightness of the sun pouring into the room, Ehiela knew it was midmorning. She usually awoke before dawn but the stress from last night drained her more than she thought. Her ankle was sore as she sat but after rotating it for a moment, the soreness began to fade. Her thick brown hair was tussled from tossing during the night and her hands quickly began untangling the knots as she slowly walked out of the room.

Tyrna was sitting in a chair with a bag at his feet, fully dressed for the day. Ehiela grumbled at him, still fumbling with her hair, she wasn't exactly a morning person. The thought of the day that was ahead of them - trekking through the hot desert - had her in a dangerous mood. She sat down on the floor near the man and began pulling on her boots.

"Is there any food that your doctor could spare? We need water as well." Her tone was less than excited as she tightened all of her daggers as well as her blade across her back. She had used the cloth that protected her face on Tyrna's neck last night but cut a small piece of the doctor's sheet for a replacement before she had left the bedroom.

By the time she was ready her hair was braided over her shoulder and her clothes had been straightened but her golden eyes still had a bleary look to them. 

[λ]

Tyrna stared blankly at Ehiela's face.
Right, the food.
He quickly gathered it into a pile and stuffed it into a bag. He hoped Jarren wouldn't mind.
"I have a week's worth of food and maybe a few days worth of water here, but if we stop by the oasis on the way we should be fine."
He looked over to Ehiela for a response. Her eyes looked dead.
She isn't a morning person is she?

"Well, if you're ready, let's leave."
Tyrna gathered the bags and hoisted them over his shoulder, tying them down. He walked over to the entrance, opened the door, and left.

[aelin]

Ehiela continued to grumble as she followed the man out of the home and into the streets. They were busy, locals clearly having been awake for hours now. The sun made the assassin wince as she shielded her eyes with her hand. Tyrna said he only had a few days worth of water. That could spell their death. Perhaps she could find some on the way out of the city - there's no way she was going into the desert with only a few days worth of water. She would sooner trade away the food than not have enough water.

"Only a fool counts on an oasis in a desert." She mumbled as she pushed past him, walking ahead. The cloth over her mouth and nose protected against the sand they were going to encounter. They neared the edge of the city and she spotted a tavern, one that was surprisingly busy for how early in the day it was.

Ehiela split from her travel companion without speaking and stalked around to the back of the shanty building. There, as expected, was a trough of water that was for the horses of travelers entering the city no doubt. The water would be dirty but if they got in a bind they would survive whatever disease long enough to reach their destination and find a healer. Ehiela shuddered as she thought of magic she had heard of healing incurable things.

Swiftly she filled a canteen with the cleanest looking part of the water and then turned back to Tyrna and narrowed her eyes, daring him to challenge her. When he didn't she turned and led them out of the city and into the bare desert.

[λ]

Tyrna looked on with a mildly bemused smile on his face.
Does she have that little confidence in a native as her guide?
Well, it didn't concern him. If she could carry it without slowing them down he didn't see a problem.

The sun reflected off the sand into Tyrna's eyes, making him squint slightly. He looked out into the vast expanse and sighed. It was never fun to travel through here. It was both physically and mentally straining. However, if he remembered properly, by following the north east route, they should arrive at the oasis in approximately three days.

"Well, let's get going." he said to Ehiela.
He pulled his mask up, and after tightening his bags, looked over to Ehiela. He hoped she would be fine, but dismissed the thought after remembering that she must have come through here to reach Essyrn. He reverted his gaze back to the path ahead, and continued to trudge through the sand.

[aelin]

The day passed slowly as the pair traveled. By midday they had stopped and taken shelter from the direct sunlight under their coats, allowing only an hour to pass before they braved the sun once more. The last thing they needed was for their skin to burn - talk about pain when one mixed a sandstorm on sunburn. Ehiela's mood was deteriorating as the sun moved across the sky. All that stretched before them was sand and more sand. The assassin absolutely despised the desert. A large part of her hoped they'd run into thieves so she could take her anger out on someone.

The only part of skin she had showing was a sliver of her eyes between cloth. There was a slight breeze, thankfully, even though it did little to help cool her body. Underneath her clothes Ehiela could feel the sweat dripping off of her body. She knew sweating was good - she had been told long ago that when you're traveling the desert sweating was a good sign. If you stopped sweating out here then you'd dehydrate and usually without knowing before it was too late.

Her throat was parched, sand was all over her despite being fully covered, and each step seemed heavier than the last. "So following your path how many days will it take for us to get there?" She spoke out to Tyrna after hours of traveling in silence.

[λ]

He looked at Ehiela as he blinked away the sweat that had formed on his eyelashes.
"It can take anywhere from two weeks to a month normally, we still have quite a ways to go... Well, this is a path that goes from oasis to oasis so you'll have plenty of time to rest in between."

He coughed up a bit of sand, and spat. "It shouldn't be too bad, we'll reach the first one in a couple days."

Tyrna hoped they didn't meet any trouble. He didn't want to stay here even a second longer than he had to. He was even risking travel during the day to finish this as fast as possible. It was a route known for bandits though, so he figured a confrontation was inevitable. Tyrna sighed. "I forgot to mention, a lot of bandits tend to lurk around here. You should probably be prepared to fight at a moments notice."

He looked up drearily towards the sky as it began to darken. It was a deep beautiful red. And way off in the distance, he thought he could make out a black line drawn across the horizon. Aw shit. Tyrna thought. That better be one of those mirages...

[aelin]

Ehiela didn't like the sound of a month out here but if there were spots of resting she could handle it. Not like she had a choice anyways. Her sword was heavy on her back as they walked, the sand sinking just enough to really make her work and her legs ache. The blades of her daggers were normally chilled to the touch but even they had become warm from the mixture of her body heat and the air around them.

Tyrna commented about being ready for bandits - like she didn't know that already. The assassin was unable to stop the glare she automatically threw in his direction as they began down yet another dune. "This isn't my first time in this desert, Tyrna." Ehiela murmured as she spotted the darkening of the sky up ahead. A shot of excitement ran through her but was quickly dulled with the reminder of her surroundings. A fight would make her even more uncomfortable but she was confident it would be a quick one anyways. Most of the bandits in these lands weren't experienced fighters but people who prayed on the weak. But with her luck she would probably run into silent assassins that hail from these parts. The pair would be in trouble if that happened.

"What do you think that is?" She asked as they pushed closer to the black line. The air shimmered around them as heat left the earth and Ehiela was familiar with mirages and tricks of the mind. She wasn't so sure that's what this was though.

[λ]

Ehiela was glaring daggers into Tyrna, but he shrugged it off.

"I thought you said this wasn't your first time in the desert, no? That. Now that is probably a sandstorm. And a rather big one at that."
Tyrna laughed a bit uncertainly. 'Big' wasn't a very appropriate word to describe it. It was massive. It was much larger than any he had seen before. It would be optimal if they could avoid it, but from the looks of it, it seemed to have an incredible reach across the landscape.

"Ugh... What a pain..." mumbled Tyrna. It was near impossible to travel in a sandstorm, because of poor visibility. And to make matters worse, for many of the creatures here, it was a simple endeavor to navigate through it and find prey. They had not had any trouble thus far with the wildlife because they could avoid it easily, but that wouldn't be an option if they had to deal with the storm.

"It'll hit in an hour, if you see cover nearby tell me." he said as he tightened the mask around his face. They didn't really have a choice, proceeding blind was suicide.

[aelin]

"It's not my first time. How do you think I got here in the first place?" The assassin growled beneath her layer of cloth as they pressed on. The darkness on the horizon was getting closer by the minute and Ehiela felt a nervousness building. While she was dangerous with almost any weapon she couldn't do much in this environment. She would take the snowy mountains and a snowstorm over this situation any day.

Her eyes strained to see any sort of cover they might use but there was nothing but sand around. She knew that if they ended up in the center of the storm they would have to stop moving - another reason to elongate their journey. Tyrna said it was a big storm...who knew how long it would take to pass. It was already well past midday and the sun would be setting in a few hours, traveling at night without the full moon would be dangerous as well.

"You're the desert rat. We just lay down when it gets to us, right?"

[λ]

"I suppose that's the only way. When it hits, we'll use our bags to make shelter. It'll be hard to see in the storm, but keep an eye out for anything that might attack us."
Tyrna just hoped that none of the larger creatures would bother them. It would be tough to even fight, let alone win in the given situation.

When the sandstorm hit, the sun had begun to set. Behind the bags that they had set up Tyrna watched with uneasiness as the surroundings grew darker and darker. At first, all he could see was brown, which enveloped everything. But even so, he was still able to see a few meters in front of him. However, as the day drew closer to a close, his field of vision grew smaller until finally, all he could see was black.

Well... This isn't good....

[aelin]

They had made it a little farther than Ehiela had expected when the sandstorm hit. The beginning wasn't so bad but she quickly changed her mind when the entire sky was twisted into a swirling mass of burning sand. There was so much that the sunset was completely blocked out and even if the sun had been high in the sky, Ehiela knew they wouldn't have been able to see it.

The sand whipped at their faces as they quickly set up their weak excuse for shelter - why they hadn't brought something larger in case this happened she wasn't sure. She felt like a fool for not thinking of it and silently cursed her travel companion as well. He was the one who lived here, not sure. Surly he should have thought of this happening.

With the sun gone from the sky Ehiela knew even when the storm passed they wouldn't be traveling. Only a fool would travel these lands at night. She had never encountered one of the beasts that roamed the desert but had heard tales of wretched creatures prowling on the lost. She could deal with thieves all day, anything human was easily disposed. But beasts weren't her forte and while she had battled many to survive she knew the pair were just another bit of prey here.

She did her best to use her clothing as cover, her bag held tightly over her face but it barely helped. The assassin focused on her breathing and not choking on too much sand for the entirety of the storm.

[λ]

Tyrna pulled off his sand covered cloak from his head, revealing the night sky sprawled out above him. Yawning, he cracked his neck a few times and looked over to Ehiela. She was under a pile of sand, almost completely submerged in it. "We lucked out, didn't we?" They hadn't been attacked in the sandstorm at all, which Tyrna had thought to be very unlikely. Regardless, the storm had passed. Tyrna was certain they would be able to continue as soon as they were able to get up.

He stretched his back, and was twisting it to the right when he suddenly stopped. Tyrna's eyes widened, and he quickly hit the still half buried Ehiela lightly in the shoulder a few times to get her attention. He pointed at the bandits who were quickly approaching. "What do you suggest we do?"

[aelin]

The sandstorm was over - thank the Gods - and Ehiela found herself shaking off sand like a dog. She would have continued to shake until she decided she couldn't feel it in every part of her body if Tyrna hadn't pointed out the bandits moving swiftly towards them. "We just can't get a break, can we?" A deep sigh and she shook again, this time to loosen the muscles in her limbs that had tightened from not moving for so long. From what she could gather there were five, all on horse back.

"Perhaps we can get a break afterall." A wicked smile turned her face into something otherworldly. Most of the time when people saw her smile in such a way they went running. But these men heading for them couldn't know what that they weren't headed towards a regular pair of travelers. They couldn't know their miserable lives would soon be over. Traveling the rest of the desert's expanse on horseback would make their trip much easier she decided. Just like that the hunters became the hunted and the sound of Damaris rang out over the dunes as she withdrew her blade from its home on her back. She had plenty of energy to waste after holding still during the duration of the massive sandstorm. She wasn't sure how long it had been since night had fallen - it was all dark in the middle of the storm - but she knew it must be late due to the lowering temperature. As if the heat was escaping the sand around them and chasing after the sun.

As the men neared the assassin debated whether she should allow the men the option to leave them alone. But it only took her half a moment to choose death instead. "Don't get in my way." Her voice was rough with the promise of violence as she stepped towards the approaching men. All of which were armed with thin blades, drawn and ready to attack. She was still, muscles tense with anticipation as she watched the men spread out before them. They seemed to take orders from the brute in the center. All the men's faces were covered with tan cloth much like her own, only their eyes were visible. The leader commanded his men without many words, clearly they were a successful team if they knew their orders without them being spoken. Experience working as a unit and they had the advantage of being on horses.

Ehiela bit her lip behind her own scrap of cloth as she thought through her plan of action. She had walked about twenty feet ahead of Tyrna and it wasn't enough distance to make her comfortable. But what should she care if he was killed? He was a stranger to her. A stranger who had a massive wound on his neck that tended to open up often it would seem. A heavy sigh. What kind of monster was she then if she did not protect her travel companion? There was no way she would yield their supplies or weapons to these thieves. She squared her shoulders and stared down the leader who had stopped fifty yards away from her, sizing her up. The look in his eyes told her enough about how he perceived her and the command from him sounded two of the men into action.

Their mounts cried out at the shock of heels into their sides and lurched forward, quickly closing the distance towards her. She was ready, easily evading the lowered blades aimed to behead a much slower victim. They raced past her, headed straight for Tyrna and without looking at her companion's face Ehiela dropped Damaris and unleashed two of her hidden knives. Both found their homes through the men's throats whom immediately slid off of their horses, their dead weight thudding softly on the sand and the beasts running on. She heard the other horse behind her as she dropped to grab her sword, spinning low to the ground to slash across the beast's front legs. The animal buckled under the thief who screamed Bitch! at her as he stumbled off of the injured animal's saddle with his blade raised. Ehiela was still lowered as the man raged towards her, her eyes squinting - the only indication of how hard she was smiling under her face guard. He swung down, the move too predictable and unsteady, and Ehiela swiftly dodged the blow and drove her own blade across his gut with ease as she stood, turning to the last two thieves.

ooc: Ehiela could totally kick all their asses but if Tyrna wants some action I'll leave the leader and a lackey for him (;

[λ]

He looked at Ehiela with a small grin on his face. She seemed to be bursting with excitement. He figured he should leave this to her, killing was for killers, guiding was his job anyway.

Hmm... They have a rather nice formation going there... Oh. Well that must've hurt... Ah, am I the easier target now? Tyrna drew a knife as one of the horsemen charged him. The man let out a battle cry and swung his sword down in an arc, aimed at Tyrna's neck. Tyrna ducked under the sword, and let his knife scrape across the man's wrist, leaving a deep gash in it as it flew over his head. He didn't want to risk too big of a movement, as he didn't want to waste energy, nor did he want his wounds to reopen. He was hassling Ehiela enough as it is, he didn't want to bother her more with problems that he could have avoided.

The man howled and released his grip on his sword. Blood was spewing out of the wound in the man's wrist. Realizing something, Tyrna pulled up his sleeve, and pointed at his own wrist, which had bandages wrapped around it.
"Hey look! We're matching!"
As Tyrna expected, the man ignored the comment and simply roared, galloping towards him as if to run him over. Tyrna let himself fall to the side slightly as he threw his knife, which embedded itself into the man's chest. As man fell off his horse with a thud, Tyrna quickly turned his attention to the next bandit that had begun charging at him.

Rather nice armor, clean sword, leader perhaps? He glanced over to Ehiela, who had just finished gutting a nearby bandit. I should probably wrap things up here too. After dodging the first sword strike, he pulled out another knife. He whirled around, ready to intercept the bandit. However instead of turning around, the bandit leader simply continued to ride away. Tyrna threw his knife in vain after the fleeing bandit, and sighed when it plopped on the ground, just short of the target.

ooc: Thx XD

[aelin]

As Ehiela turned to see if Tyrna needed any help but it seemed the man had taken care of himself after all. She walked over to where he knelt, glancing over his body for wounds. Once she was satisfied he hadn't reopened his neck wound her eyes drifted to the direction the leader had gone.

The leader and the horse were long gone and she turned back to survey what they had left. There was one horse on the sand breathing heavily, Ehiela winced as she took in the deep wounds she had given it across it's front legs. Four bodies of the thieves lay around them. The three riderless-horses hadn't run too far off into the desert. A midnight black mare was lingering close by while the two others were only a couple hundred yards away.

"What do you say we cut this trip in half?" Ehiela gave Tyrna a sly look as she walked over to the closest mare who simply stared at her. Ehiela made quick work of wiping blood off of her sword using the bottom of her pants. She slung her bag across the animal's back before stalking over to retrieve her two daggers from the dead men's throats.