A lion, a Witch, and a Weasel

[tekraa]

Autumn nights were chill at the outskirts of the mountains, angling down to rolling hills cut through with rivers, from here one could see much, but a few more leagues and the lay of the land becomes hidden within the density of the forests.  The ground was still moist from a recent rainfall, mud and slick leaves to add to the hazards of travel when one must avoid the roads.  Foreigners would presume travel here was mostly by river in this remote area of Connlaoth, but when one didn't want to be seen they avoided roads.  A league to the northwest lay a village, quiet and peaceful, fires fading and beginning to sleep for the eve.  Clustered are no more than ten buildings, no walls or gates to speak of, outlying the land has been cleared for fields and animals, the village and fields rest in the flat between several hills.  It is past the time of harvest, the fields are mostly barren but for the remaining livestock, to the west of the road lies a grain mill, the tallest building in the village.  The tavern is centrally located to the surrounding buildings.  Scattered far from the village center are three farmsteads, basically just small cottages.

To the north three riders approach hurriedly, heading to find an inn, travel sodden, soaked and covered in dirt from what looks to be weeks on the road, otherwise, inconspicuous.

West a dedicated Connlaoth squad of soldiers rides hard through the night to make up lost ground, once ten, four of their brothers have been felled by mage and traitors, their Mordecai sergeant is unpurturbed.

To the south of the village atop the crest of a hill stand two soldiers, unnoticed by the locals and wildlife.


Atar'Ashi looked thoughtful as he gazed down at the village, unconsciously he pulled his cloak about himself tighter, he was bruised and sore from a fall down a hillside earlier in the day but there was naught to be done about it, no sense in wasting strength on a meaningless healing this close to their target.  It had been a hard ride to arrive early yet he and Dred'Rikath would need to move quickly yet still.  From this vantage the riders could already be spotted. He glanced to his right and peered at his counterpart from inside his cloak, the light from the village was faint but Atar could just make out his cousin's eyes and the scars on his face.  The man returned his gaze and spoke.

"We need to keep moving, mage.  Can you feel it?" the swordsman asked, his voice hushed.

"Aye, others are coming, I have a bad feeling about this Dred." The mage's voice was tense, he seemed strained this night.

"You have a bad feeling about everything.  Let's go"  The succinct response silenced the mage and they began walking onward, the sounds around them strangely muffled, Dred knew immediately the aspect the mage was drawing on, shadow, for stealth.  It was an eerie sensation, if one focused they would spot, or hear them, but to the normal person they would be near invisible. "We will need to reach the road east of the inn about the same time the riders arrive.  Let us hope there are no soldiers garrisoned here from the duchy. Don't strain yourself too much, I understand this mage is a killer"

Atar narrowed his eyes at Dred's grin, he was beginning to get irritated with the man, he allowed the conversation to stop there and fell in stride with his friend, his right hand moving routinely to check that his dagger was secured in its scabbards.  Silently through the night the duo approached the village.

[GoblinFae]

Down within one of those ten buildings lay a red-haired woman unable to sleep despite the exhaustion of her recumbent form. Her "companion," if one could call him that, was nervously pacing a hole into the worn and protesting floorboards again. It was enough to give anyone a headache and Tiraris was no exception.

Groaning, she rolled to her side and raised a hand to move the sole window's ratty curtain so that she might take a peak outside. All seemed quiet and still. The villagers would be pleased but, years of action had taught the assassin that it was only temporary. Something dampening and stifling was approaching.

"Your Moredcai friends are here," she called out softly, knowing the mage would hear her. She sat up just as he rushed into her curtained-off "room."

"I told you, didn't I?" he ranted, rushing about the room to gather carelessly strewn about books. "You just had to go and out me didn't you! Wipe that smirk off your face; this is all your fault! If you hadn't come skulking around looking for a teacher, I never would have been wrapped up in this whole mess."

"You are a practicing mage living in Connloath. You cannot honestly blame me for this. When I found you, you were practicing the darkest of magics, necromancy, in a cave. I hardly believe I have done much to further sully your already tarnished record with the law."

"And you have no concern for yourself?" the harried man questioned as he checked under her cot and came up spitting dust-bunnies. "You are a terrible housekeeper."

"Good thing I am payed to kill then, is it not? We shall take the east road, past the inn and out of the valley." Tiraris sighed as she dispassionately watched the man fumble about in the dark. "That is of course if you plan on leaving before they arrive."

"Of course I'm leaving before they arrive. Can't very well do it after they've got me, now can I? Daft girl! Hey! Where do you think you're going? You're still my student. You can't just wander off on your own like that. What about my payment?"

The assassin ignored the babbling as she exited the shack into cool night. A gentle breeze tugged at her clock and hair, daring her to come play but, she was too busy listening to heed the call. Keen eyes try to see what keener ears had not heard. 'Nothing and yet something. Seems we might not be the only magic-wielders here tonight. This could be interesting.'

Standing there in the dark, the assassin turned her face to the silver moon as she debated leaving now and saving herself or staying. If she stayed there were parts to play. Both the observer and the fighter appealed, although if she fought it would not be for the weasel of a man currently scuttling about inside. He had been no help to her, nor would he be in the future. Her time here was nearly done.

[tekraa]

The three riders reigned in off the road near the grain mill, a fence made of rough timber surrounded it, waist high with a single gate in it.  The ground was grass and mud, mostly firm despite the recent rain.  All three dismounted and lead their horses through the gate, hitched their horses, and entered the building.

The mordecai and his squad were approaching, their pace slowing as they took the lay of the land.  Three of the riders broke off from the rest of the squad, ranging ahead as scouts, they were making for the village.  They would miss the three they were looking for until they rallied and searched the rest of the buildings.

Atar paused several strides ahead of Dred"Rikath, the shadows enveloping them flickered, the world blurred a moment and the gray scale colors dropped revealing the darkness of the night. They were standing in the shadows of a farmstead which moments ago had seemed faintly distant, an illusion he knew but it was disorienting none the less.  Beads of sweat trickled down the the face of the mage.  He was shaking, the effort had visibly exhausted him.

Dred spoke as Atar sighed, then sagged, leaning his weight on the wall of the farmstead a moment.  "If you are going to die let me do you in, it won't be half as satisfying if you do yourself in."

The mage noticed Dred was grinning "Mordecai" he growled "Damned brazen, too.  He has no idea what kind of shit storm he is riding in to." He paused and caught his breath, wiped the sweat from his face using the sleeve of his cloak, fought off the nausea he was feeling, then righted himself.  "Do you still have your long knife?"

"Long knife? Aye."  the swordsman reached down, grabbed the leather handle and slid it up from his boot.  He then flipped the knife in his hand so he clutched it by the blade and offered it to the mage who promptly took it from him, fumbled under his cloak for a moment, and tucked it into his belt.  "The man is looking for glory, he has rushed his squad ahead of the others in an attempt to turn his quarry from the field."  Dred began grinning as he spoke. "Too bad-"

"Not too bad" Atar interjected. "Sad for his squad, is all."  Dred noticed that the color had returned to the mage's face, he looked sturdier now that he wasn't drawing on his magic, this close to a mordecai it was hard on the man.  Dred thought that Atar looked...thoughtful.  "Sad for his squad, is all."

Dred's grin faded and he nodded to his partner.  It was always this way between them before a fight, all tension and seriousness.  He sighed and began moving again past the front of the farmstead, if either of them noticed Tiraris as they passed they showed no sign of it.  They were headed directly for the grain silo.

The Mordecai and squad had reached the village and were waking the residents There would be a search, and before long the witch would be found. Among the residents were five more soldiers to account for, garrisoned from form the duchy for the protection of the villagers.  The mordecai was questioning them.

If you were close enough to the grain silo to hear, you would hear the frantic whispers of a girl, her brother, and the man who was guiding them.  The conversation stopped abruptly. A yell was heard.  The alarm was raised, soldiers were mounting even as the guide left the grain mill, untied his horse, mounted, and rode for the forest

[GoblinFae]

From her place, Tiraris could not see the three that approached but her ears had no trouble picking up each frightened, softly-spoken word as if it was in her own ears the words were murmured. 'Well that answers that,' she thought with a smirk, moving towards the silo so as to better observe.

Behind her, the mage Werglk hopped and waved his arms about angrily trying to get her attention. "Get back here," he hissed, casting shifty glances at every little shadow. "You're going to get us both killed!" Cold maroon eyes turned and froze him in his track.

"No, only you." Her attention was drawn away as the alarm was sounded and one of the three took off, riding hard past them. "Time is up. I suggest you follow." Then without another look back, the assassin moved to join the gathering villagers, who came to see what the commotion was about.

Silently she wove in and out of the people, her eyes always searching for the next exit should she need to take flight. The pair had tried to flee but in Tiraris' opinion it was pointless; they would not get out of the valley alive unless as captives.

One of the soldiers addressed the gathering throng in the village center, forcefully reminding them that protecting a fugitive of the law would earn them the same punishment as the criminal they sought to help, in this case death. He implored them to step forward with the witch and her companion at once. "No harm will come to you," he said with a gentle smile as a father might say to his young child who fears the dark.

The assassin did not hide her disdain or disgust then. She cared not for this lands rules, or that of any other. It was the lies that these men told that disturbed her. If the woman was not found then the soldiers would tear the village apart in search of her, blaming it all in the end on the criminals.

Bored already, she decided to take her leave when a familiar voice rang out in the night. "I have the information you seek! I know where the witch is!" The assassin's blood ran cold as she watched as if not with her own eyes as Werglk turned to stare her at her before raising his finger accusingly at her. "Your witch is there captain! Remove her hood and you will see. I've seen her perform magic with my own eyes!"

The villagers recoiled from her, forming a ring of separation around her. Lowering her hood she stared defiantly back. "You would listen to a drunkard than trust your own instincts? I am not who you seek."

"No, you are not," a voice agreed close to her ear. Tiraris wondered briefly it was the exhaustion of trying to quell her magic constantly or the shock of such a quick betrayal that stopped her from realizing just how close the soldier had gotten to her. 'When did I stop paying attention?'

"You know Silverd'art you have a lot of nerve being here after what you've done," the man continued, circling her. "I seem to remember you killing an entire garrison of men only last month. Surely you did not think you would get away with that? Or are you really that stupid."

She recognized the man as one who had nearly caught her twice now. 'Such a cunning one. Pity his ambition will drive them all into the ground.' Tiraris smirked playfully. "What if I told you that I did?"

He took two unwary steps closer to her. She waited patiently for the third, not caring to hear his response effectively breaking his jaw with an angry right hook. Crying out in garbled pain, others joined to come to their injure comrade's aid even as Tiraris fled to higher ground, climbing on top of one of the rooftops in hopes of distancing herself and keeping the upper hand in this fight. It would be easier to defend and attack when her eyes could see what her enemies could not.

[tekraa]

"I can see that you are more interested in the mordecai than our Quarry" Dredrikith said and nodded toward the commotion "I will check on the children and catch up with you later."  As the swordsman jogged off Atar began frowning. The children were dead. Even from here, through the fog of the mordecai he could feel their lives fading.  He could have saved one of them, probably.  Their highborn employer would be upset at the loss of her children.

As he rounded the corner of the building he damned near ran face first into four rushing soldiers, all in a line headed straight for him, in a flourish the long knife was unsheathed, unsighted by the man who was just now skidding to a halt before him.  The three behind him stumbled even as the long knife punched through the mans chest, the end of the blood slick blade visible to them through his shoulder.  In a smooth motion he threw the man aside, using his weight to roll him free of the blade even as the men tried to maneuver to intercept him.

A sword raised before him as magic erupted around him, green flames licking out from the building beside the soldiers.  Atar had never stopped moving, the sword snapped down to intercept him even as he darted to the side, blade lifting to take the man in the throat. The sorcerous detonation that erupted was defeaning, seconds after his magic struck superheated bricks cracked and exploded sending shrapnel outward. Shrapnel lanced through the nearest man even as the remaining soldier reeled and lifted his shield, the force of the explosion sent him flying, he was either unconscious or dead.

Blood dripped from the mages face as he stepped clear of the violence, blood soaked the ground from the three dead, two run through and cut, the other bleeding from numerous wounds caught in the explosion.  The supporting wall on this side of the building was crumbling, the groaning sound was evidence enough that the roof was going to collapse under Tiraris' feet.  The remaining soldiers, all elites glared around, shocked by what they were seeing. Veterans all, none flinched as they formed a protective circle around an unconscious man, they were warily keeping their shields raised high, the ones facing the building were looking to the roof, the others' heads turned to follow him even as he circled opposite the roof.  Split attention was ideal for taking down six heavies, he wasn't sure he could do them all on his own without much effort.  The magic required to cause that explosion was exhausting enough in the pressence of a mordecai, more might cripple him.  "There is any army a day's march behind us" Their chosen leader yelled, obviously trying to intimidate. "You will all be killed for this, this entire village is traitorous, harboring mages!"

[GoblinFae]

With a loud groan the roof and wall gave way sending heavy rock and Tiraris with it tumbling to the ground below. Trying to regain her footing, she did not stop careening until she had crashed straight into the mage. Her hands briefly steadied herself on his shoulders as their eyes briefly met.

The leader's shouts though sent her back into motion, shoving the other away from her as she drew her sword. Isilotsë sang in the night air as she easily bit and tore through flesh and bone, cleaving the head of the soldier just behind Tiraris.

Once more the assassin glanced back at the mage unsure of his intentions. They were not enemies in this fight but nor were they friends. Would he kill her as well? 'He can try.' Never leaving her back open to either side, Tiraris spilled more blood as she tried to make her way out of the corner she had been backed into.

Before she had not wanted to fight and become involved but now she did so without question. The red-haired woman was not one to enjoy and savor the kill, nor was she one to pass judgement and determine life or death. But, the attack on her person drove her forward even as she kept gazing back. 'Where is the other one? Did I see two or just the one? I thought there were two.'

"To hell with it," she growled as the flat end of a sword caught her on the side of the head. Anger boiled up inside struggling to find a release. Given time Tiraris would have no problem with laying waste to the area around her. What stopped her though was a pair of frightened blue eyes that stared at her from the doorway of one of the houses. A young child watched the fight that went on around her, never seeing the soldier that approached to extinguish the flame of her life.

Tiraris was too far away to save the child but, that did not stop her from fighting harder. As much as she claimed to hate children she could not find it within herself to condemn this carefree child who she had watched play and laugh over the past month.

[tekraa]

"Should have let her fall" he mumbled to himself as he rolled to his feet, back briefly turned to the chaos that embroiled Tiraris. He had barely braced himself for her impact and then she had pushed him over, the wretch.  See what kindness gets you?  Four soldiers sought to encircle her, another moved beyond her reach toward the next house down the street.  Another lay dead, head lulled awkwardly at his shoulder, cleaved clean through the bone and left attached only by a strip of flesh... a brutal swing that must have been to bite clean through the mail guarding the soldiers' neck

The sound of steel rang through the street as bystanders fled, parents ushering children to safety and trying to find sanctuary from this night turned murderous.  Atar drew his dagger and began forward, poised to strike when he heard the shriek of a child, the lone soldier had entered the dwelling he had approached, their was the briefest ringing of steel and then a thud.  One would likely assume the worst.

He sprang into action then, one of the knights turned to face him as the other three pressed the attack on Tiraris.  In the slaughter of this night, of what they have witnessed, anyone else would have turned and fled, but these, these were tough soldiers, disciplined, or perhaps just fanatics.  They appeared to have the advantage at this moment, but Atar'Ashi was determined to change that mindset by killing the two that faced him. He charged.

The man thought unconscious stuck out a leg and tripped him.  Eight strides from the knights.  He grunted hard when he hit the ground, he landed face to face with his assailant, if one could call the unarmed soldier that. The bones of his jaw were collapsed and swollen, perhaps what had started this fray to begin with. The cold look to the mans eyes uneased the mage for a moment, he was about to speak, or laugh when the mage punched his short dagger through the eye hole of his helm, driving it deep into his brain and forever silencing him.

He scrambled to his feet diving away from the approach of hostile characters, barely avoiding a thrust meant for his midsection only to have a downward slash bite into his thigh, cutting through cloth and leather and gashing deep as he moved, twisted to face them, and jumped into action.  He caught the one on the right charging after him, and spun to his shield side, effectively making his partner ineffective in the next exchange of blows. A thrust easily dodged by sidestepping and then the man leaned forward, throwing the weight of his shield out in an attempt to bash him. Atar easily evaded both blows, threw his right arm forward driving the deadly blade between the plates covering his upper arm and immediately slid backward away from his attackers.

The soldiers arm went limp, he could barely hold onto his shield and the spurt of blood that followed delighted Atar, a bleeder that wound, the man was dead.  He staggered as his friend moved past him on his flank, shield raised to face Atar, the injured man stepped backward, out of the fray.

Dred'Rikath emerged from the house where Tiraris had seen the child, his right hand unclasped his cloak and he let it drop aside, the blood sodden thing was ruined anyway.  Chain link armor gleaned in the light under the moon.  His exquisite sword was in his left hand, fingers clenching the gold-worked hilt tightly. the ensorcelled blade gleamied with blood.  His dark eyes were venom, and the fates were going to be cruel to the remaining Connlaoth soldiers.

[GoblinFae]

A roar of anguish tore past the assassin's lips as she heard the child's death-cry. Try as she might though she could not release the surging magic rushing in her veins. Tiraris turned her head to the right and quickly discovered why, another Mordecai was closing in, focusing his power entirely on her.

'Of course! The one time I wish to use it, I cannot. Typical!' She gave no mercy, taking life as if it meant nothing to her. For once it did, for once she was on the warpath of bloodshed and gore. None would survive if she had her way. The dawn sun would bake the land red in the blood of the fallen.

Tiraris joined the pair, weaving in and out of the soldiers as if it were a dance. To her it was, as her body bent and twirled, flowing with a grace that made Isilotsë seem like an extension of her body rather than a separate thing entirely. She had decided to deal with the unknown pair later if they proved troublesome. For now they did not oppose her efforts so she did not pay them too much mind. A wary eye always ensured that they were not about to stick her anyway.

Then out of the corner of her eye she had caught sight of him. "Werglk!" she screamed out into the night. "Traitorous mage, look what you have done!" The man startled and took off at run, the assassin closing in on his heels, unmindful of the soldiers that also followed.

One such soldier managed to catch hold of Tiraris' long hair and yank her back by it. Her head whipped back and her feet slipped in the mud, landing her on her back. It was the man from before, the one who had suffered a broken jaw for recognizing her. His foot stood on her sword-wrist, keeping her from running him through as he leered spat blood in her face.

More surrounded them and she lost sight of her prey. Sitting atop her, he tried to grope her, laughing as her eyes widened in shock and disgust. The others laughed, enjoying the spectacle even as their brethren fell to the other opposing pair of fighters. They hooted and hollered cheering the man on.

At last Tiraris had had enough and rocked her body up to lock her legs around the other man's neck and bring him to the ground. Aware of her intention, he too maneuvered to twist her arm painfully behind her. The pair rolled about in the mud, throwing punches and kicks whenever they could get them, trying to subdue the other. It came to draw though as the soldier once again pinned Tiraris to the ground, his weight crushing her as he chocked her. Her own hands encircled his throat, squeezing for all she was worth. To release the other was to lose. Both faces turned red as the seconds ticked by and they lost the necessary oxygen. More came to watch, enjoying the near fall of the famous Silverd'art.

[tekraa]

Dred'Rikath streaked past Werglk and joined the fray in a flurry of lightning quick sword strokes.  Iron struck iron, then flesh, seemingly unimpeded, the shield, guard, and parry of the best swordsman among his foes were simply not good enough, the enemy just melted before the frenzy of his attack, blows always seeming to find the weak points in his enemy's armor.  Incoming blows never seemed to find their target, the man's grace was unmatched, footwork and powerful swings, parry after parry, the enemy simply vanished.  Five were then three, three were then one, and that one looked on in a panic when the bodies fell around him.

It was only seconds since he had entered the battle and yet the man stared in awe even as he wheeled and drove the point of his sword gingerly into the his throat. Dred tore his sword loose, the action causing a gout of blood to fly from the wound,  planted a mailed foot on the mans shoulder, and sent him off to Tiraris' side where he lay, blood gurgling up from his throat, dying.  "Messy business, this." Atar said from across the road as he approached his comrade, Dred took a step back then and offered his right hand to the woman to help her stand, cool dark eyes evaluating her momentarily, a flick down her legs and then back to her eyes.

"You fight well. Can you stand?" his voice was little more than a whisper, but for the crying of a child and faint whispers people in hiding, the night was now eerily silent.  Atar'Ashi was picking his way through bodies, checking them along the way, pulling anything of worth he could find from the bodies, an assortment of small knives, throwing daggers, coins, and jewelry.

"Where did that weasel Werglk go?  Haven't seen him in years, thought he died when I knifed him back in Serendipity." Finished with his search, ignoring Tiraris and Dred he marched by, searching the shadows for the whelp of a mage.  "I'll find him..." he mumbled to himself as he set off down the road, away from Dred and Tiraris.  It was clear that these men were not frightened by her, Werglk, Mordecai, or a Connlaoth army.  They were inexplicably calm considering the circumstances.

[GoblinFae]

The dying man's blood spurted in her face and hair, yet Tiraris did not even flinch as she sat up and placed a hand to her aching throat. A hand impeded her vision and she followed its length up to the man who offered it. A curt nod answered his question, as she cautiously accepted and rose to her feet.

Gently she massaged at the already bruised flesh. When she finally drew her hand away the bruises were gone and the pain receded. 'Mordecai weakened even that. Wonderful!' She kicked angrily at a body, rolling it over as she searched the sodden earth for her sword. Tiraris wiped the filth from her face as she found it and kicked it up into her hand.

The assassin had been content to ignore the men and go on her own path when the traitorous mage's name had her snapping her head up to attention. Long strides brought her to stand facing the first man and blocking his path. "That kill is mine to claim. You would do well to turn back and forget it," she rumbled, her voice still hoarse from her earlier fight.

There was defiance and challenge within her maroon eyes as she stared the slightly shorter man down. This was a matter Tiraris was not going to back down on. Her honor and tentative trust had been abused. This was not a matter she would let rest. Such much life had been lost due to one man's fear and foolhardiness. Werglk would pay, of that the assassin was sure.

[tekraa]

Dred'Rikath watched the scene before him and likened it to a comedy skit in a drama...children.  The mage blinked and looked up at the woman standing before him, his brow furrowing in confusion, then arching toward anger. "Whelp!" he yelled.  Atar raised his hand and poked her in the shoulder, hard, punctuating his statement.  "Amateur.  You think you can take down the high mage Werglk? Twice, TWICE" his voice raised in pitch as he ranted "TWICE, we thought we took that weasel down, yet everywhere we go he keeps popping back up, and you think you can kill him." He "hurumphed" as he pivoted on his heel,  narrowed brown eyes leaving hers and he made to step away from her.

Dred'Rikath recovered his cloak, wiped the blade of his sword clean on it, then sheathed the weapon.  Despite his grin, the scarring on his face looked more like a scowl from this angle, this girl was willful, if not a bit foolish.  Nor did she seem to show any bit of gratitude to the fact they just saved her life.  "The enemy of my enemy is my friend", the saying went, and in this case it had burned true, however, she was certainly no ally of theirs.  He could tell the mage liked her, Atar was always a sucker for someone in need, hence the bounty hunting business.

"He didn't go that way" The swordsman said, the words barely audible. Hearing them the mage snapped back around, facing the woman once more, he looked irritated.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris growled at being chastised like a child. She slapped at the hand poking her and and sneered. "And what makes me an amateur in comparison to you who has twice let him slip away versus I who have never had the opportunity to cross paths with him? Do not pass judgement on me without knowing me. Or better yet do not pass judgement at all! Stay out of my way and keep your nose out of my affairs, that includes Werglk."

She ignored the mage, letting her eyes drift past him to the swordsman who had saved her life. The assassin bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. "I thank you for your assistance earlier." Tiraris was hoping that he would not call her on that life debt. The sooner she could be free of this place and back on the hunt, the better. Blue eyes were already beginning to haunt her. "I will not be requiring your assistance in the future though. I believe this is where we part ways."

A second bow and her gaze was moving back to the irritated mage. She too had heard the softly spoken words and could not stop the smirk that slid across her lips. "Amateur?" she taunted, staring back into brown eyes.

[tekraa]

"I watched him gate." Dred spoke clearly.  After a moment he stood from where he leaned and brushed his cloak off,  he took a minute to go over his person making sure all his valuables and weapons were in check.  "Besides, we have only one path ahead of us, and that is away from an encroaching army.  With four mages present they are no doubt going to march this way first light.  When their outriders don't return they will send more riders, and we won't make the border before they are upon us."  His eyes flicked between Atar and Tiraris.  She was formidable, he doubted Atar could take her blade for blade, magic was an altogether different game though.  He was fairly certain they were going to fight, and if they did he doubted he would be able to stop them, and at this moment he doubted much of the village would survive the encounter.  

His companion had spoken of a strong magical presence here when they approached.  He had been vague but he had no doubt now of its source.  It was not Werglk, he was too good to simply get caught.  He didn't need to ask why this woman would want to pursue, and kill the wily man.  He had a habit of making enemies... oh but was he good at hiding.

"Gate?" Atar spat, spittle landing on Tiraris chin, anger transformed to rage in the man instantly.  He hadn't moved from before the woman but his eyes were focused on Dred.  "The tenacity of the man, how did he gate with a mordecai present?  It must have been set before they were close, he knew, you must know!" his attention had turned and he wheeled on Tiraris once more, finger jutting out and popping her in the shoulder hard once more. "Where was he going!?"

[GoblinFae]

She wiped the saliva off her chin in disgust before in turn wiping it on the man's shirt in front of her as she pushed him aside. His second attack on her person though stoked the fires burning in her veins. It would be a while before she could get it moving to the surface again, no thanks to the Mordecai. But, it was still there and with it, her very expressible anger.

Tiraris latched onto the offending hand, twisting it into a lock with ease. "Do not touch me again or it will be more than your hand you lose. What makes you think I will help you when I have made it clear I want nothing to do with you? You are rude and loud, neither are things I wish to associate myself with. You would only be in my way.

"Now if you will excuse me," she said taking a step back. "I must be going. If what your friend says is true, then staying here is out of the question. I have no desire to be here when they lay waste to this valley once more."

[tekraa]

Atar's eyes closed tight and he grunted, feeling his finger break as the woman used it, twisting his arm into a lock, Dred rushed toward the duo but the mage was already working, reaching for the tendrils of power that curled about the woman, they were wild but he could use them...with minor repercussions. Werglk had been near enough to the woman that he could trace him using her, and her he would.  It was a violation, and she was going to hate him for it but that was not about to stop him.  The shadows swelled around them, ebbing and moving like fluid, viscous, the faint smell of death touched the air as the world around them shifted, lurched... light exploded around them, and then he collapsed, drained.

Dred'Rikath reeled and fell to his knees his strides bringing him close to the duo as they were flung gods knew where across the continent.  He would strangle the bastard mage when he woke, doing such a thing without warning.  The contents of his stomach were emptied onto the ground before him, nausea rolling through him. He gagged, coughed, and rolled onto his back, trying to gather his senses.  It was hot, the sun was beating down.  The ground was hard, barren, and lifeless, perhaps sandy.  Why did it have to be a desert?

[GoblinFae]

A change was coming over her and Tiraris was powerless to stop it. She felt her power rise up within but instead of channeling out through her it went to a different source. One moment she was standing in the ruined village, the sun close to rising and then the next she was in the middle of suffocating heat and sand with a harsh sun beating down on her weakened body.

Her body shook fiercely as she landed hard on her knees. It had been too long since she had used any kind of raw magic like that. It pleased her that no one had died in the effort but she was very close to killing the mage whose hand she was still firmly gripping.

The assassin ignored the retching swordsman in favor of screaming at his moronic companion. "Did you have any idea what you have done? You could have killed us all," Tiraris growled, punching him in the soldier before trying to wobble to her feet. The smell of heat and vomit made her sick to her stomach and it took all her effort to keep the bile down.

"This is exactly why I do not wish to help you." She collapsed to her hands and knees once more, wanting nothing more than to kill them both and be on her way. The problem was though, she had no idea which way was hers. From every angle there was nothing to see but hot endless desert that would only be getting worse as the day continued on.

'No water, no food, no shelter, just a pair of useless idiots to work with. That damn mage almost killed us all. Did not even have the courtesy to ask! Then again, I never would have let him do it. Would have dropped him off the side of a cliff before I let him do it. Not a bad idea actually, may still do that. No use complaining. Think Tir, think! Priorities: clean air, clean water, shelter, kill the idiots. Got it.'

Pulling the decorative cloth drape around her waist off, the assassin made quick work of wrapping it around her face and head to protect her from the elements. She tried to focus all of her energy on her hearing but each breath from her unwelcome companions sent knife-like searing pains through her head right behind each eyeball. "Will the two of you quit breathing? I am trying to listen!"

[tekraa]

"If you don't kill him, I'm going to" Dred'Rikath growled then clenched his teeth.  He groaned when he rolled over, fought his ways to his knees, used his hands to bury the contents of his stomach under sand and then sat cross-legged to look around.   To his right Atar'Ashi was passed out.  The woman had yet to stick a dagger in the short man's back and the only sign of life was the expanding of his lungs which was barely notable from within his cloak.  Systematically Dred stripped himself, first his cloak, and then his chain shirt, leaving him in his boots, trousers, and shirt.  The severe scarring on his right side had left most of it without feeling, a blessing in this heat.  The sun would be devastating, and worse yet, they had not recovered their supplies.

The only vegetation he spotted from here were cacti, which looked strangely familiar, come nightfall he would know for sure, but he suspected this was the edge of the Moraki desert.  Closer to water they wound find all sorts of wildlife and fauna. All told not a terrible place to wind up, better than Connlaoth if it was, but considering current circumstances, the march to the nearest oases was going to be tough.  They would need bladders for water, food, and shelter during the day.  Shelter would be hard with no tent,  but they had made do before.  Food could be scavenged, he knew there was liquid to be had in the cacti, and he might just be able to scrounge up some food if the world around him would stop spinning when he wasn't squinting.

"What is there to listen to besides the wind?" he asked then drew a deep breath.  Sweat was beading on his forehead already, the sun was going to be a problem.  Dred pulled the small knife from his boot out and went to work on his cloak, cutting a long strip of cloth from it.  This he wound around his head and face as Tiraris had done, but was sure to leave enough of his cloak to provide some warmth at night.  Finishing this he rolled up his sleeve and drew the blade across his upper arm, staunched the wound with his shirt so it would not drip, then drove the knife hilt deep into the ground in front of him.

"What is your name, woman?" he spoke to Tiraris but his gaze focused on the ground before hiim, hands sitting on his knees he stared, waiting.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris scowled, trying to ignore the man even has her armor clinked and grated on her nerves. Finally she raised a hand, her finger pointing off into the distance. "Water. It runs deep within the earth but runs in that direction. Where there is water, there is life. I assume you do wish to live, correct?"

Sweat droplets raced down her spine, making the assassin wish she could also remove her chainmail. But, the idea of carrying it versus wearing it was not nearly appealing enough. It would be too much effort when what she needed most now was to move and find water. The fact that the heat beating down on black metal and cooking her alive was one she was choosing to ignore currently.

For a moment she contemplated not telling him her name. However, unbidden the memory of blue eyes and then his help drove her to speak. He at least had not shown her any real animosity. "Silverd'art. And you-" her voice trailed off as she took note of what the swordsman was doing. She could not fathom why he would injure himself or drive the blade into the ground. "You do realize you are wasting energy in time when you have so little of both?"

[tekraa]

"I am called Dred'Rikath Tenull, he is Atar'Ashi Tenull.  The surname was a gift of our cohort.  Some religious nonsense meaning "The Burned Ones". Silvedr'art..." he whispered to himself, then removed the wrap he had covering his face which he had moments before applied.  Black cloth in this heat, bad idea he decided, wool no less. His eyes broke from the weapon buried in the ground before him and drifted to hers. Silverd'art. It sounded familiar, he wasn't sure from where, but it wasn't terribly important.  The lady was correct in assuming he wanted to live, her name was relevant to their survival.  Something shifted in the sand before him, he noted it in his peripheral but made no move for the weapon, nor did he fright away from it.  "There is water everywhere in this desert, presumably easier to reach in the cooler temperatures of the eve, assuming we do not dehydrate and get the heat sickness.  Presumably I want to live, even so, it would be unwise to move right now, and near impossible in your armor, and dragging the dead mule-" he paushed a moment and gestured with his hand to Atar "Dragging him.  Speaking of your armor, you should remove it lest you die, dragging both of you would be unfortunate, and when you black out I will have to remove it anyway, it would be unseemly-"

His words trailed off, his attention back to the dagger before him, his hand snatched out, withdrew the dagger, and buried the blade into the writhing sand before him.  In a fluid motion he pulled a scorpion about the size of his hand out of the top layer of earth, free hand snapping the creatures tail from its body in what looked like a practiced motion, tossed the tail aside, and dropped the dead scorpion on his cloak.  Upon completing these actions he stuck the dagger back in the ground, whereupon his attention turned back to Silverd'art.  "Unseemly to strip you, but if needed I will."  He stifled a grin at the thought but he doubted he could hide it, he imagined she would fret at that, or throw something at him.  "I think we are in the Moraki desert, in Esswyrn.  I can gather a better location once the stars are above us.  If there is groundwater, it likely feeds a river, perhaps a few days' travel from here, and from that river we can navigate to  the golden city... if this is Moraki."  Motion in the sand again, another scorpion caught, tail removed, and tossed to his cloak.  The swordsman paused a moment and wiped his forehead clean of sweat with his sleeve.

"My father's father was of the desert people, we traveled a few times to Essyrn in my youth to visit distant relatives, we lived in a border village just inside Adela's claimed territory and so, distantly they governed us.  The Adela military will also punish insubordinate soldiers with tours and patrols just outside of their territory, into the desert country bordering theirs.  Most of these patrols will not survive to come back, those that do are generally better behaved...harder, better soldiers...but it leaves a bad taste.  I have begun to ramble.  The black scorpions here" he gestured, one hand to the scorpions, the other to the tails.  "The claws can be ground up once you clean them out, when mixed with water it thickens, you can apply it to your exposed skin to prevent burning.  The poison gland in the tails, the venom is thick, you can crush the sac and apply it to your skin on burnt areas, it will act as a numbing agent.  Slick your blade with it and it is paralyzing.  I will show you how to remove the venom sac in a moment."  he looked beyond her, to the nearest of the cacti.  This one had a large red flower atop it.  "Those large cacti, among other things, are likely to contain water when sliced open.  You said their is deep ground water?  That would explain the state of the vegetation.  It is my belief that if we rest, we can travel at night and easily sustain ourselves."  This last sentence was spoken succinctly and upon completion he flashed his most winning smile, which he realized wasn't very winning when accounting the scars that marred his face.  More movement under the sand before him, another scorpion nabbed.

"What is your relationship with Werglk?"  Dred'Rikath's tone was harder, far more serious than it had been a moment ago, as he gazed forward his eyes seemed to gloss, lost in memories.

[GoblinFae]

"Your concern is admirable, however unnecessary Dred'Rikath Tenull," she replied, letting his name flow off her tongue with such an ease as to suggest she had been calling it all her life. Tiraris had absolutely no intention of letting him touch her nor of removing her armor. Instead, she concentrated on trying to lower her body temperature some. Although with the heat it was a battle she knew she was going to lose. The idea of being so vulnerable around the two strangers though left her wary and on edge.

She watched fascinated as he handled the scorpion's. His actions of before now made sense but his lecture was grating on her nerves. Reaching forward, she snatched up one of the tails, she made quick work of emptying the sac into a vile. "If digested it also has the capability of temporarily paralyzing a giant or a dragon for a number of hours. I know my poisons."

'Do not treat me like an idiot,' her eyes howled at him. The assassin sat cross-legged across from him in the sand, trying to let her body relax enough to start conserving strength in the face of the hot sun. 'You are going to have to take it off at some point, you know. The longer I delay the less time he has to oogle me. And the less time you have to survive. The more you sweat the faster you become dehydrated. Come on Tir, be reasonable!'

Tiraris continued to ignore her inner voice, choosing to glare at Dred. "Our relationship was purely sexual, of course," she growled out sarcastically. "Keep out of my business. Our relationship if you could call it that, is none of your concern." Her head dropped into her hands to feel sweat literally pool into her palms. 'When that mage wakes up I am going to kill him!'