Nairn Tuckamore
She let out a long, slow breath as Tempest and Anakita volunteered to come with her. Both women were recognized as 'safe' by her brain which made focusing on her stealth spell so much easier. Anakita unknowingly solved Nairn's next problem - how to ask Tempest if she'd like to keep her hand free. Clearly the ranger would need both her hands to set traps, so she could make her suggestion universal.
"You should allow me to hold onto a piece of your clothing or a belt to allow you to move freely." As an afterthought, she turned to Tempest, "Touching someone else may break the spell. I will do my best to allow you to avoid this."
True to her word, once connected to both ranger and mage, the three of them winked out of sight before the distinct swirl of a shadow portal opened beneath where they had been standing. The pale swirling mist disappeared almost instantly - Nairn had decided that closing the portal would be the safest bet.
The three vanguards found themselves within the courtyard of the dilapidated keep, the main fighting was behind them and the ranged fighters above them. Nairn herself was in no rush. She didn't pull on the hastily-made reins, but allowed Anakita and Tempest to move freely. If the ranger stopped to place a trap, she'd send a gentle tug to Tempest and then one more when the trap was laid to signal the go-ahead.
Nairn walked the trio past the first few guards. They weren't the ones who had called them, after all. Melar had. She had intended to walk directly to the elf leader, but the next room slowed her pace. It was a makeshift infirmary. This was where Tempest said she'd wanted to be. And so, she simply dropped the veil where they stood. Surely someone could direct Anakita and herself to Melar from here.
Finding Home
-
Monkey Kitty
- Posts: 784
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm
Re: Finding Home
Tempest Rutherford and Anakita Snakecharm
The guards at the door started to raise an alarm at the abrupt appearance of the trio, but a familiar voice said, "It's alright. They're allies. Thank you for coming, friends."
It was Melar. In the infirmary. Tempest hoped he was merely encouraging his wounded - a rather futile hope, in the middle of a battle - but she saw that the elf leader had been shot through with two arrows, one in the thigh and the other through the shoulder, barely missing his heart and lungs and reducing his breathing to a shallow rasp.
"Of course," Tempest replied. "We're here to help. If you will allow me to treat your injuries, Farsight - and those of anyone else who is too gravely wounded to join in an escape - we can get you out of here."
"Get us out of here?" Melar gasped. "No. No! That was not... not why I called for aid. We must stand against them. We aren't giving up, not giving..." He lost his breath, and drew in a few shuddering, partial lungfuls of air.
"Oh, no, we aren't giving up," Anakita assured him. "We're just regrouping. We have more people outside, sowing some chaos and joining up with your people. Once we get to them, we can finish this. But we have to get you out of here, first. You're pinned. You're trapped in here."
"I know," Melar said with a sigh. "The fight seems hopeless."
"It's not!" Anakita said with a grin. "Don't worry. We've got this."
Tempest nodded her agreement, rather impressed with how well the Ranger had pithily summarized the situation and... somehow... seemed to be setting the leader at ease.
"I have something else here that will benefit your cause," Tempest added, gesturing to a sheaf of papers tucked between layers of her robes. "Ulga asked me to bring it to you. It's proof of how the unrest started. That refugees were stranded against their will with nowhere to go. That humans have been stirring up conflict between the elves and the local population. It won't matter to the mercenaries, but..."
Melar's eyes shone with sudden hope. "But to others, it will. It means this might be our last battle. We may be able to negotiate peace with this. I am so grateful to you for bringing me this. I must ask you one last favor, though. I have... difficulty walking, unrelated to my current injury and not fixable through magical healing. I will slow down the retreat if I attempt to go with you. You must take this evidence to the king in my stead. I'll hold them off as long as possible--"
"Oh, nope!" Anakita said cheerfully. "We're not gonna do it that way. We're getting you out of here. I'll piggyback you if you want!"
Tempest and Melar both stared at the Ranger, attempting to discern if she was joking. There was no sign that she was.
"One way or another, everyone is getting out of here," Tempest assured him. She began healing him and the other soldiers with immediately perilous wounds, preparing to flee as soon as possible.
The guards at the door started to raise an alarm at the abrupt appearance of the trio, but a familiar voice said, "It's alright. They're allies. Thank you for coming, friends."
It was Melar. In the infirmary. Tempest hoped he was merely encouraging his wounded - a rather futile hope, in the middle of a battle - but she saw that the elf leader had been shot through with two arrows, one in the thigh and the other through the shoulder, barely missing his heart and lungs and reducing his breathing to a shallow rasp.
"Of course," Tempest replied. "We're here to help. If you will allow me to treat your injuries, Farsight - and those of anyone else who is too gravely wounded to join in an escape - we can get you out of here."
"Get us out of here?" Melar gasped. "No. No! That was not... not why I called for aid. We must stand against them. We aren't giving up, not giving..." He lost his breath, and drew in a few shuddering, partial lungfuls of air.
"Oh, no, we aren't giving up," Anakita assured him. "We're just regrouping. We have more people outside, sowing some chaos and joining up with your people. Once we get to them, we can finish this. But we have to get you out of here, first. You're pinned. You're trapped in here."
"I know," Melar said with a sigh. "The fight seems hopeless."
"It's not!" Anakita said with a grin. "Don't worry. We've got this."
Tempest nodded her agreement, rather impressed with how well the Ranger had pithily summarized the situation and... somehow... seemed to be setting the leader at ease.
"I have something else here that will benefit your cause," Tempest added, gesturing to a sheaf of papers tucked between layers of her robes. "Ulga asked me to bring it to you. It's proof of how the unrest started. That refugees were stranded against their will with nowhere to go. That humans have been stirring up conflict between the elves and the local population. It won't matter to the mercenaries, but..."
Melar's eyes shone with sudden hope. "But to others, it will. It means this might be our last battle. We may be able to negotiate peace with this. I am so grateful to you for bringing me this. I must ask you one last favor, though. I have... difficulty walking, unrelated to my current injury and not fixable through magical healing. I will slow down the retreat if I attempt to go with you. You must take this evidence to the king in my stead. I'll hold them off as long as possible--"
"Oh, nope!" Anakita said cheerfully. "We're not gonna do it that way. We're getting you out of here. I'll piggyback you if you want!"
Tempest and Melar both stared at the Ranger, attempting to discern if she was joking. There was no sign that she was.
"One way or another, everyone is getting out of here," Tempest assured him. She began healing him and the other soldiers with immediately perilous wounds, preparing to flee as soon as possible.
Re: Finding Home
Nairn Tuckamore
lt had been fine when she was outside among friends. It had been fine when it was just the three of them in the passageway. But now here, in this room with a ceiling that felt just a little too low for her norn stature, surrounded by people she didn't know, Nairn felt the walls moving in. She didn't understand the feeling, at first. She liked caves and small spaces...usually. But in those types of spaces she was usually alone. When a woman approached her, Nairn nearly stepped back.
"Can you veil us and walk us out of here?" her bloodied eye pleaded for a positive answer, but Nairn could only shake her head.
"How about the spell? Can you teach us?" A man whispered from his spot on the floor. Again, she shook her head 'no'. He looked like he was about to ask why, but dropped his head, presumably conserving his strength.
She was relieved that they didn't press her for a better answer. A real answer. Something with substance - an explanation, even. But they didn't and through her selfish relief she sensed their weariness. Hopelessness. Nairn turned her head to catch Anakita's eye before she trotted out of the room, back the way they'd come.
She might not be able to get the infirm out of the keep, but she could help make a path for their exit while Tempest healed the worst of the wounds. Nairn stepped around the traps and casually jogged out into the keep's courtyard. She could see their people fighting the mercenaries ahead of her. The enemy was sandwiched between the party and the walls of the keep now and some men turned toward the keep in desperation instead of aggression. The cowards did not fare well against her blade, nor against the arrows of the elves positioned on the ramparts above.
lt had been fine when she was outside among friends. It had been fine when it was just the three of them in the passageway. But now here, in this room with a ceiling that felt just a little too low for her norn stature, surrounded by people she didn't know, Nairn felt the walls moving in. She didn't understand the feeling, at first. She liked caves and small spaces...usually. But in those types of spaces she was usually alone. When a woman approached her, Nairn nearly stepped back.
"Can you veil us and walk us out of here?" her bloodied eye pleaded for a positive answer, but Nairn could only shake her head.
"How about the spell? Can you teach us?" A man whispered from his spot on the floor. Again, she shook her head 'no'. He looked like he was about to ask why, but dropped his head, presumably conserving his strength.
She was relieved that they didn't press her for a better answer. A real answer. Something with substance - an explanation, even. But they didn't and through her selfish relief she sensed their weariness. Hopelessness. Nairn turned her head to catch Anakita's eye before she trotted out of the room, back the way they'd come.
She might not be able to get the infirm out of the keep, but she could help make a path for their exit while Tempest healed the worst of the wounds. Nairn stepped around the traps and casually jogged out into the keep's courtyard. She could see their people fighting the mercenaries ahead of her. The enemy was sandwiched between the party and the walls of the keep now and some men turned toward the keep in desperation instead of aggression. The cowards did not fare well against her blade, nor against the arrows of the elves positioned on the ramparts above.
-
Monkey Kitty
- Posts: 784
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm
Re: Finding Home
Anakita Snakecharm and Tempest Rutherford
Anakita glanced over at the retreating Norn, then at Tempest, then back at Melar. Leaving him behind wasn't an option. But there weren't a lot of other options left. The elves were mostly injured, and needed to be able to defend themselves. Tempest didn't look like she could carry another adult, especially as she was starting to tire from the healing magic she was doing. Nairn was gone.
"So," Anakita said. "About that piggyback..."
Melar looked aghast. "Absolutely not!"
Anakita grinned. "Got a better idea? If so, I'm all ears."
***
The group charged back out of the Keep, down the passage Nairn had cleared, with Melar slung over Anakita's back and Tempest using her magic as sparingly as possible to cover their retreat - there would likely be other battle casualties who needed her attention.
By the time they met up with the rest of the group, the fighting had been intense, but the arrival of the newcomers had turned the tide for the beleaguered elves. The mercenaries were staring to retreat. It seemed a relatively flawless victory.
Except...
Sellia approached Nairn, looking panicked. "Can you help me?" she asked. Her eyes were wild, her cheeks flushed with a fresh blood meal - but the terror in her eyes was not the heat of battle. "I can't find Gwindor. I think they took him. Can you help me track him down?"
Anakita glanced over at the retreating Norn, then at Tempest, then back at Melar. Leaving him behind wasn't an option. But there weren't a lot of other options left. The elves were mostly injured, and needed to be able to defend themselves. Tempest didn't look like she could carry another adult, especially as she was starting to tire from the healing magic she was doing. Nairn was gone.
"So," Anakita said. "About that piggyback..."
Melar looked aghast. "Absolutely not!"
Anakita grinned. "Got a better idea? If so, I'm all ears."
***
The group charged back out of the Keep, down the passage Nairn had cleared, with Melar slung over Anakita's back and Tempest using her magic as sparingly as possible to cover their retreat - there would likely be other battle casualties who needed her attention.
By the time they met up with the rest of the group, the fighting had been intense, but the arrival of the newcomers had turned the tide for the beleaguered elves. The mercenaries were staring to retreat. It seemed a relatively flawless victory.
Except...
Sellia approached Nairn, looking panicked. "Can you help me?" she asked. Her eyes were wild, her cheeks flushed with a fresh blood meal - but the terror in her eyes was not the heat of battle. "I can't find Gwindor. I think they took him. Can you help me track him down?"
Re: Finding Home
Nairn Tuckamore
She'd done her part. Got her people in quietly. Helped make a way for them to get back out with their trapped allies. And now it was over and she stood in a copse of trees away from the action, arms crossed, fingers travelling in circles around the edge of her daggers' pommels. She'd done her part, so why did she still feel on edge? Like she hadn't done enough.
Sellia's arrival startled her, which was alarming in and of itself. Nairn wasn't sure how she could feel so keyed up and yet still be so oblivious. Her hands had curled around the dagger grips of their own accord and she shook them loose with a small amount of embarrassment. Her ducked head put her at a level from which she could better observe the vampire woman. She looked...
"Yes. Yes I can help."
Terrified. Sellia looked terrified.
Nairn gestured at the woman to lead the way to where she'd last seen Gwindor. Certainly there had been a lot of feet in the area. It was a battleground. Frantic footprints, heavy in the mud, turning with the swinging of heavy weapons. Which made the ones moving in straight, measured lines away from the battle stand out all the more. She didn't like how they were spaced. And didn't like what it all meant.
"Quickly. We must go quickly - but stay close." Nairn knew Sellia could move faster than she could, but it wouldn't do to have the woman out of reach of the protective aura of her stealth spell...just in case.
She'd done her part. Got her people in quietly. Helped make a way for them to get back out with their trapped allies. And now it was over and she stood in a copse of trees away from the action, arms crossed, fingers travelling in circles around the edge of her daggers' pommels. She'd done her part, so why did she still feel on edge? Like she hadn't done enough.
Sellia's arrival startled her, which was alarming in and of itself. Nairn wasn't sure how she could feel so keyed up and yet still be so oblivious. Her hands had curled around the dagger grips of their own accord and she shook them loose with a small amount of embarrassment. Her ducked head put her at a level from which she could better observe the vampire woman. She looked...
"Yes. Yes I can help."
Terrified. Sellia looked terrified.
Nairn gestured at the woman to lead the way to where she'd last seen Gwindor. Certainly there had been a lot of feet in the area. It was a battleground. Frantic footprints, heavy in the mud, turning with the swinging of heavy weapons. Which made the ones moving in straight, measured lines away from the battle stand out all the more. She didn't like how they were spaced. And didn't like what it all meant.
"Quickly. We must go quickly - but stay close." Nairn knew Sellia could move faster than she could, but it wouldn't do to have the woman out of reach of the protective aura of her stealth spell...just in case.
-
Monkey Kitty
- Posts: 784
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm
Re: Finding Home
Sellia
"Thank you," Sellia told Nairn sincerely. "I figured you would know how to track him. He wouldn't leave his comrades voluntarily in the middle of a fight. He must have been taken. But why...? Well, no matter. We'll get him back."
Her mouth was set in a determined line as she and Nairn moved carefully up the slope together.
We'll get him back. We'll get him back. We'll...
He had to be alive. He had to be. He had to be alive so they could have the life they planned together. They belonged together. She could feel it in her heart, as sure as she was of anything in the world.
We'll get him back.
Then she saw him. He was battered, bloodied, bound to a tree. It was hard to see his face clearly, but the area around his left eye was painfully swollen and marred; she couldn’t tell if he was still able to see. His left leg had been pierced by some kind of blade, twisted through muscle and into bone. They had just... left him there... on display at the top of the hill.
He wasn't alone. Three grinning, gloating mercenaries were poking at him with the tips of their swords, mocking him...
Sellia screamed. It was a feral, inhuman sound of pure rage. Dropping all pretense of stealth, she charged up the hill, with no thoughts in her mind other than tearing her beloved's attackers apart.
"Thank you," Sellia told Nairn sincerely. "I figured you would know how to track him. He wouldn't leave his comrades voluntarily in the middle of a fight. He must have been taken. But why...? Well, no matter. We'll get him back."
Her mouth was set in a determined line as she and Nairn moved carefully up the slope together.
We'll get him back. We'll get him back. We'll...
He had to be alive. He had to be. He had to be alive so they could have the life they planned together. They belonged together. She could feel it in her heart, as sure as she was of anything in the world.
We'll get him back.
Then she saw him. He was battered, bloodied, bound to a tree. It was hard to see his face clearly, but the area around his left eye was painfully swollen and marred; she couldn’t tell if he was still able to see. His left leg had been pierced by some kind of blade, twisted through muscle and into bone. They had just... left him there... on display at the top of the hill.
He wasn't alone. Three grinning, gloating mercenaries were poking at him with the tips of their swords, mocking him...
Sellia screamed. It was a feral, inhuman sound of pure rage. Dropping all pretense of stealth, she charged up the hill, with no thoughts in her mind other than tearing her beloved's attackers apart.
Re: Finding Home
Nairn Tuckamore
She had seen Gwindor seconds before Sellia simply due to the fact that Nairn had a significant height advantage. While Nairn had recognized the situation as dire, she had also been immediately suspicious. It seemed like the man was on display. And displays were for people who wanted to watch. Nairn had slowed her step out of caution. Sellia's reaction was...well, unexpected in a way, but Nairn was also not surprised. She was getting used to people who charged into situations and she could work with that.
While the vampire streaked up the hill, calling all attention on herself, Nairn ducked off to the side and began looking at the surrounding hilltops. Sellia could handle three mercs. The woman did not need her help at the top of that particular hill. The better option, as far as Nairn was concerned, was to ensure that her suspicions were laid to rest. She crept into some brush and began making her way around the base of the hill, looking for sign of an ambush.
She had seen Gwindor seconds before Sellia simply due to the fact that Nairn had a significant height advantage. While Nairn had recognized the situation as dire, she had also been immediately suspicious. It seemed like the man was on display. And displays were for people who wanted to watch. Nairn had slowed her step out of caution. Sellia's reaction was...well, unexpected in a way, but Nairn was also not surprised. She was getting used to people who charged into situations and she could work with that.
While the vampire streaked up the hill, calling all attention on herself, Nairn ducked off to the side and began looking at the surrounding hilltops. Sellia could handle three mercs. The woman did not need her help at the top of that particular hill. The better option, as far as Nairn was concerned, was to ensure that her suspicions were laid to rest. She crept into some brush and began making her way around the base of the hill, looking for sign of an ambush.
-
Monkey Kitty
- Posts: 784
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm
Re: Finding Home
Sellia
Sellia had forgotten Nairn entirely. She had lost focus on anything except the elf she loved, and the three mercenaries who were holding him captive.
She also didn't see the four other mercenaries step out of the trees behind her. If she had, she wouldn't have cared. She was in a completely blind rage now, throwing herself at the attackers, biting and ripping and clawing, growling and snarling. There were screams - not her own. They rang in her ears. Her bloodlust was out of her control.
The other mercenaries hadn't seen Nairn either. They advanced up the slope behind Sellia, ready to attack.
Sellia had forgotten Nairn entirely. She had lost focus on anything except the elf she loved, and the three mercenaries who were holding him captive.
She also didn't see the four other mercenaries step out of the trees behind her. If she had, she wouldn't have cared. She was in a completely blind rage now, throwing herself at the attackers, biting and ripping and clawing, growling and snarling. There were screams - not her own. They rang in her ears. Her bloodlust was out of her control.
The other mercenaries hadn't seen Nairn either. They advanced up the slope behind Sellia, ready to attack.
Re: Finding Home
Nairn Tuckamore
Her corner of her mouth briefly twitched into a smile. She did so appreciate being right. The fact that being right meant that there were now four extra mercenaries to deal with did not factor into her self-congratulatory state whatsoever. They hadn't even seen her - distracted by their own distraction.
Her daggers were sharp and long enough that she did not need to touch the first man to slit his throat. He went down soundlessly, but for the thump his body made on the ground. The second man turned, perhaps he'd smelled the blood? He was met with an equally silencing stroke. His flailing drew the attention of the last two. Having the high ground only really mattered if one was high enough to be out of reach. They, unfortunately for them, were not.
Long strides carried her the rest of the way up the hill, where she paused and waited for Sellia to recognize her before stepping onto the crown of the hill. The vampire seemed to be in the red place and Nairn was content to wait until the other woman passed through it and out the other side.
Her corner of her mouth briefly twitched into a smile. She did so appreciate being right. The fact that being right meant that there were now four extra mercenaries to deal with did not factor into her self-congratulatory state whatsoever. They hadn't even seen her - distracted by their own distraction.
Her daggers were sharp and long enough that she did not need to touch the first man to slit his throat. He went down soundlessly, but for the thump his body made on the ground. The second man turned, perhaps he'd smelled the blood? He was met with an equally silencing stroke. His flailing drew the attention of the last two. Having the high ground only really mattered if one was high enough to be out of reach. They, unfortunately for them, were not.
Long strides carried her the rest of the way up the hill, where she paused and waited for Sellia to recognize her before stepping onto the crown of the hill. The vampire seemed to be in the red place and Nairn was content to wait until the other woman passed through it and out the other side.
-
Monkey Kitty
- Posts: 784
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm
Re: Finding Home
Sellia
Nairn was wise to stay back; the red mist of battle clouded Sellia's eyes, and she would have had difficulty distinguishing friend from foe.
Well... with one exception, that is. She remembered who she was protecting, and the injured elf tied to the tree was in no danger from the rampaging vampire. When the three mercenaries lay dead at her feet, only then did she turn to look for others - and found Nairn standing over their corpses. She gave a little nod of acknowledgment. Of understanding. She was grateful for Nairn's assistance. For this particular battle, Sellia would make no apology. The emergence of her feral nature, in this case, felt to her well-justified.
With no other threats immediately appearing, she turned to her beloved. Sellia unbound him quickly, but discovered another obstacle. She would have had no trouble lifting his weight, but the blade that was sunk deep in the flesh of his leg would be more challenging to remove. If she merely yanked it out, she would risk more damage to the limb - or even worse, him bleeding out. This was beyond her own skill.
"We need help," Sellia said. "Please? Maybe Tempest? Just go get someone. Please."
She herself kept her arms around Gwindor, supporting his weight with her embrace. He was unconscious, but she kissed his fevered brow anyway. His blood was everywhere, but she felt no temptation. Between all the blood she drank during the battle - the heavy, satiated feeling her her belly that she so rarely experienced to this degree - and the dull panic settled like a stone in her chest, she felt no hunger. Only desire to fly past this moment as quickly as possible, to spirit him away from here and let him heal in comfort.
To Sellia's surprise, before Nairn had a chance to depart, another vampire approached - Devrin, the one who had left the encampment in a huff when she failed to resurface any memories of their 'love.' At this moment, though, his face was a picture of sympathy and concern.
"Oh no!" he said. "Is that your poor elf? What a shame! Please, allow me to help. I do have some experience with this sort of blade."
Sellia nodded, but watched with wary concern - but he moved carefully and deftly, and within moments, Gwindor was free and slumped into her arms. "Thank you," Sellia said briefly, as she bound the wound with a torn strip of fabric. Then, to Nairn, "Can you help me get him back?"
"Allow me to offer my assistance with that as well," Devrin insisted. "The least I can do after my earlier childish behavior."
Nairn was wise to stay back; the red mist of battle clouded Sellia's eyes, and she would have had difficulty distinguishing friend from foe.
Well... with one exception, that is. She remembered who she was protecting, and the injured elf tied to the tree was in no danger from the rampaging vampire. When the three mercenaries lay dead at her feet, only then did she turn to look for others - and found Nairn standing over their corpses. She gave a little nod of acknowledgment. Of understanding. She was grateful for Nairn's assistance. For this particular battle, Sellia would make no apology. The emergence of her feral nature, in this case, felt to her well-justified.
With no other threats immediately appearing, she turned to her beloved. Sellia unbound him quickly, but discovered another obstacle. She would have had no trouble lifting his weight, but the blade that was sunk deep in the flesh of his leg would be more challenging to remove. If she merely yanked it out, she would risk more damage to the limb - or even worse, him bleeding out. This was beyond her own skill.
"We need help," Sellia said. "Please? Maybe Tempest? Just go get someone. Please."
She herself kept her arms around Gwindor, supporting his weight with her embrace. He was unconscious, but she kissed his fevered brow anyway. His blood was everywhere, but she felt no temptation. Between all the blood she drank during the battle - the heavy, satiated feeling her her belly that she so rarely experienced to this degree - and the dull panic settled like a stone in her chest, she felt no hunger. Only desire to fly past this moment as quickly as possible, to spirit him away from here and let him heal in comfort.
To Sellia's surprise, before Nairn had a chance to depart, another vampire approached - Devrin, the one who had left the encampment in a huff when she failed to resurface any memories of their 'love.' At this moment, though, his face was a picture of sympathy and concern.
"Oh no!" he said. "Is that your poor elf? What a shame! Please, allow me to help. I do have some experience with this sort of blade."
Sellia nodded, but watched with wary concern - but he moved carefully and deftly, and within moments, Gwindor was free and slumped into her arms. "Thank you," Sellia said briefly, as she bound the wound with a torn strip of fabric. Then, to Nairn, "Can you help me get him back?"
"Allow me to offer my assistance with that as well," Devrin insisted. "The least I can do after my earlier childish behavior."