Woman in the Woods (Raven)

[Imass]

Summer 43
High Noon

Imass arrived at the Sacred Arch to bathe in the cool waters. The six foot six midnight blue Akalak removed his tabard, chain shirt, gauntlets, and leggings. Stripped down to his white undergarment, the knight was covered in a thin coat of shiny sweat. Imass wasn't a fine chiseled sculpture, rather he was a brawny and strong. His legs were like thick tree trunks and his chest barreled like ale. He weighed almost three hundred pounds.

Imass entered the cool waters and submerged into the pool. He swam leisurely towards the arch, coming up for air ever so often. He floated around the bridge for a few minutes then swam back to the shallows. The knight floated on the water. He thought of the days on the high seas with Galys. The torrential waters of the Suvan Sea rocked in his head as he closed his eyes. He tried to remember how the sensation felt. The young Akalak could only describe it as constantly falling every which way. It took a few trials in rough weather, but Imass would come to earn his sea legs on the voyage.

He opened his eyes again took in the landscape around him. The trees were beautiful and green. The air was pleasant and brisk. The water was cold from the mountains. Everything felt fresh and peaceful. Once could truly relax in certain areas of the Bronze Woods and the Cobalt Mountains. The Hotsprings were no different. The noise of the birds and the water roaring filled his ears. The breeze was good and Imass could finally relax his tired muscles. Closing his eyes again, he relaxed and floated in the pool.

[Raven Nightfoot]

Raven was on her usual trek through the woods today. The beautiful young woman walked calmly through the peaceful forest, her mesmerizing bright amber eyes constantly observing her surroundings. She wore her usual tight black leather pants along with matching boots and corset, her trusty black whip at her side incase of trouble. As she passed by she heard a faint clunking noise which sounded like some type of metal. Curiously she snuck in the direction of the noise, her steps slow, careful and quiet incase of danger. What could it be? Bandits? Slavers? Regardless of the unsafe possibilities, Raven pushed forward, there was little that could stop her from falling prey to her own curiosity. Arriving at the source of the sound Raven hid behind a nearby tree, cautiously peering around it in order to see what had made the noise. What she saw was a man, no...a massive akalak man, his skin a deep blue color much like midnight. The akalak had stripped down to his undergarments and gone into the water, his body was one massive congregation of well defined muscles, a giant warrior. As he swam Raven couldn't help but gawk at him, his body was beautiful, his hair dark and slicked back. She could not however see his face since he was facing away from her. As she stared she noticed his possessions on the floor, his tabard suggested he was a Syliran Knight. Raven internally sighed, yet another knight, it seemed as if everyone either was or wanted to become a knight as of late. She stood there silently watching him from behind the tree, her head barely visible as it peered out from the it's hiding place. As the man turned around she quickly pulled her head out of the line of sight and put her back to the tree, she hoped he had not seen her. Raven may have been good at stealth but she was not perfect at it, but she figured that as long as she stuck to the shadows she should be fine. Ah shadows...Akajia's gift to those who did not wish to be seen.

[Imass]

Imass began to lather himself with simple ivory soap. The Akalak valued cleanliness. He was almost obsessive about it. His blue skin was now covered in a thick layer in soap suds. The Akalak produced a washcloth, then began to scrub his body vigorously. He scrubbed his shoulders, arms, armpits, chest, stomach, and back. The Akalak even stood in the shallowest part of the pool washing his lower body. Legs, thighs, feet, everything! He scrubbed and scrubbed for minutes upon minutes.

This obsession with cleaning his body was because of his dark side. Imass needed to constantly meditate in order to keep his dark side at bay. By focusing and concentrating his mind, the Akalak could subdue his evil counterpart. Every Time he took a bath he not only cleanses his body, but also his mind. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes. He would focus in while lathering his body, then he would scrub his body clean. Details were important. It helped in focus clearly. Concentration on the task at hand was imperative for Imass. His mind could not wander. Everything needed to be minimized. No thoughts.

Imass finished rinsing his body. He took his sword in hand. He held the basket hilted Broadsword infront of his body. He stared at the weapon and all it's glory. It was gleaming and polished brightly. Imass had spent the whole night before sharpening and polishing his blade. He picked up his shield too and walked on the soft ground near the water.

The knight got into his stance and pointed his weapon unknowingly in the general direction that Raven was hiding.

He closed his eyes and meditated some more. He thought of the trials he was about to endure on the epic quest. He meditated on these ideas. He accepted his fate. In one day he was going to embark on a journey to Zeltiva and ultimately Sahova. The city was going off to war in some far away battlefield and alas Ser Imass would be joining on the quest. Once the journey began there was no turning back.

Imass stood as still as a rock, pointing his sword forward into the trees. He would stop his deadly meditation for none, save he was interrupted by Akajia herself.

[Raven Nightfoot]

Raven stood there, hidden behind the large tree for a long time, checking now and then to see what the midnight blue akalak was doing. It seemed that he was giving himself a thorough scrub, almost obsessively. Eventually she got bored and decided it was time to leave, but unfortunately for her, at that moment the knight exited the water. Raven stood there, back pressed against the tree, too cautious to take a peak since she had no way of knowing what direction the akalak was facing. She heard him pick up his blade, did he know she was there? No, he would have said something. Right? Another moment passed before Raven finally decided to attempt to sneak away. Slowly she began stepping away from the area where the knight was. After not even ten steps there was a loud noise and the voice of a young woman, "Ouch!" her foot had gotten caught on an exposed root and the she had tripped and landed on the ground with a loud thud. There Raven stayed, she knew her little game of hide and seek was done. She had lost.

[Imass]

Imass' meditation was broken suddenly by a loud ruffling noise in the bushes. He opened his eyes and gazed directly at the trees in front of him. Although he tried to ignore everything else, his warrior's mind was always on the alert. The whispered "ouch" he heard also meant that it was at least humanoid and not just an animal. He was still in his meditative state though, so he didn't react quick yet. He remained silent for a second or two as he collected his thoughts, then he spoke, "Who goes there?"

Wearing only a loin cloth, he advanced on the position with his sword and shield raised.

[Emblem]

Congratulations! You Get Glorious Experience! Imass Skills Meditation- 2 XP Lores Keeping the Dark at Bay Being Spied On Other Shenanigans: Nothing here Comments : Imass you definitely know how to set the scene! Shame that this thread couldn't have gone any further as there wasn't too much to award. Hopefully the skills and lores make sense and if not, shoot me a PM!