Flashback [Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

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Stretching northward along the coastline of the Suvan Sea, the Cobalt Mountains are the home of the Bronze Wood, numerous ruins, and creatures both strange and fantastical.

[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on October 6th, 2013, 5:16 am

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59th Day of Summer
6th Bell


Goddess, did she suck at riding horses. Sitting atop the ebony mount, the savage woman rocked back and forth with its gait. Large, black hooves thundered confidently across the woody earth, the horse flicking its tail contently as they moved along. At least he was enjoying this little stroll in the woods. Kaie on the other hand? Not so much. She'd been riding for hours now along the Kabrin Road. Or so she had thought. Sometime during the night hours the familiar path into the wilderness just sort of vanished. Had she gone off course? Did she even know which direction she was headed? Looking up into the sky where Syna continued her steady rising, Kaie squinted through the rays. Just by the sun's position she could tell it was something like the 8th bell. And she was heading north still, which was a good sign.

Just like the rhythm of her trusty steed's steps, Kaie's pack thumped steadily low to her back as they rode. Her gladius hilt jostled some and she felt her own feet swaying in the confines of the stirrups. Bronze hands clutched the reigns a little uncertainly. So far the beast proved to have been well trained before he was passed on to her safe keeping. His previous rider? Well let's just say it had come to her attention his end was..Untimely. And deliberate. Regardless the horse was somehow important to her mysterious, new employer. If he wanted the petching animal delivered, fine. If she was lucky she might learn how to handle herself on the saddle while she was at it.

Kaie certainly had her guard up still. Even the simplest rustle in the brush would cause a sudden snap of her head, and a singing from her gladius as it was removed from its hold. She knew what lurked in the woods. It would be best she didn't fall prey to any of it before she made it a week's ride from Syliras. Dying that quickly would almost be an embarrassment. Actually it definitely would. Why couldn't she figure out where that petching path went?!




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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on October 27th, 2013, 12:42 am

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For such a massive thing, the ebony horse was certainly steady. Despite the fact she had led him completely off the beaten path, he merrily continued without much care. Each lift and fall of his powerful hooves brought a bit of anxiety to the savage, waiting to be hurdled off her mount's back at any given moment. Instead he paced on, easily navigating the abundance of undergrowth and small tones here and there. Twigs and leaves buckled and snapped under his gait. In fact, Kaie was starting to believe he was a far better horse than the one she rode across the grasslands of Cyphrus.

They seemed to ride for some time, Kaie not knowing which way was what, only praying she'd find some semblance of a path eventually. Though her ride was confident, Kaie felt like an idiot atop it. Her legs swung at it sides, she rocked this way and that, and her hands were probably clutching the reigns a bit too strongly. All in all, she felt utterly embarrassed. There was no way she possessed any image of speed and grace like even the youngest Drykas child. By the way she so clumsily held herself on the saddle, she felt more like she was riding a Tskanna than anything else. The Myrian could only pray to Myri no one would be around in these woods to see her less than finer moments. Until there was.

"Oi! Watch where ya leadin' that thing, lad! Drive it into the ruts again and your wagon's gonna lose a wheel!"

Immediately the Myrian female pulled back on the reigns. With a snort of disappointment, her ebony companion halted. He stamped his feet impatiently at her, but the savage woman ignored his voiced defiance. Instead she listened and watched. Staring through the trees where the shout came, Kaie searched for the source of the sound. The more she sat in silence, the more she took in.

Hooves. Wagons. Voices. Quite a few of them, too. A caravan?

She waited there with uncertainty, watching the place where she could only guess a road laid. Yet there was a part of her, a small and primitive part, that whispered in her ear alluringly. "Keep going," it hissed in its wild ways, trying to spur her from the path ahead. And a piece of her wanted to listen. Wanted to listen to the wildness inside her heart that so convinced her she was best alone. She saw pictures, images of a world so far away where branches swayed and monkeys howled during mornings like this. A world in which she'd laugh and frolic, racing around on foot with spear in hand. A place in which she was a fearless and feared survivor among the jungles her people dominated. The visual was far too romantic to the homesick woman, and as much as her pride swelled, she knew better.

Kaie could survive in the wilderness. She had done it in Falyndar and in Syliras, where she commuted from Bronze Woods to the city for work. She resented the City of Peace and its pompous knighthood most days, and maybe that's what had always sent her away. But when the worst of the conditions came, she frequented the city and stayed in its local housing. And now she was out here alone, away from civilization, and still technically lost. Sure, she could be resourceful and feed herself, but could she be as efficient with a horse in tow? What would she do when the going got tough and there were no fortified walls to turn to? Kaie knew this was no time for pride. She needed to be realistic, and realistically, she needed a caravan.

She tapped the horse's sides, bringing the animal to a trot toward the sounds. From the angle of approach she had, she'd be coming in what sounded like the end of caravan. If all went well, she could negotiate with them civilly.

"Hold up! I think I heard somethin', boys!

Well, hopefully she could convince them at least not to slaughter her as soon as she was in sight...


"Hold your fire. I'm coming out," She warned harmlessly, slowing her horse to a walk and exiting the disguise created by forest shadows. Before her, three riders approached. The first was an older man taking point, looking to be just past middle aged. His hair was grey and a scraggly patch of stubble stretched along his jaw line. Really just a run of the mill mercenary. The second was a man with odd figure. His build was average but his face was pudgy, hair a dirty black mop on his head. He had the strangest, most massive sword at his waist, too. The third was a man of more dignified appearance who couldn't have been older than twenty. He was tall with blonde hair, not bad looking at all. What really made him stand out was the fact his bow was up and an arrow was aimed at her chest.

"Huh. Just a girl, lads. Long way from home, girl. Where you headed?" The first asked politely, looking from Kaie to his men and back again. The archer relaxed his bow at the mere sight of her. It was all she could do to keep the look of utter disgust off her face. Lowering a bow because she was a woman? Few things could insult a Myrian more.


"North. Your caravan going the same direction?" She inquired casually, her horse becoming oddly docile now that it was with its brethren.

"Aye, we're going North. But we ain't takin' strays here, woman. Best you head back where you came from," He responded like it was the most simple and obvious fact imaginable. The men behind him chuckled lowly to themselves waiting for her to turn tail and head off. The caravan was continuing on without the three. She could only guess they were guarding its back and the travelers were on a tight schedule to keep moving. It wouldn't be long before they either left or forcibly sent her on her way.


"I'm not a stray! Besides, it looks like you could use me anyways," Kaie tried to reason with them, shrugging her shoulders. The men on the other hand looked at one another and began laughing. Some even dared raise their eyebrows suggestively as if she had implied her services could be pleasure. Bastards.

"Yeah. As if we could use a poor woman with hardly any clothes, who isn't even capable of using the tools she carries. Get lost," The third man finally piped up, causing the second to stifle fits of laughter. Surprisingly the Myrian woman's expression remained placid. She did not stiffen. Instead she waited for the man to be done. Inside, however, she was a cauldron of absolute loathing. It boiled within her very veins, the hot blooded woman struggling against her own resistance. And then she could hold it in no longer, and let spill words meant only to inflict equal offense. She couldn't think to care in that moment if it was merited or not.


"Well that was cute. So first off you lower your guard because I'm a woman? Are you even serious? There could be horde of bandits sitting in the brush behind me, waiting for you to drop your bow. I could've led a charge to annihilate your entire caravan by now. And you, since you find your boyfriend so funny," Kaie began with an eerie calmness, nodding her head toward the second man who was still giggling like some Syliras woman far too drunk at a bar.

"First of all, what the petch is that sword? I mean really. Are you a mercenary or an executioner? For Goddess sake, look at the damn thing. Can you even swing that? Unless cleaving off elephant heads is listed in your job description, you look like a petching idiot. What is that thing, like eight feet long? I'd gut you before you'd manage to draw. Either you're the biggest petch up in Syliras, or you're overcompensating for that extra room in your pants," She fired off without hesitation as if she was simply rattling off observations and facts that were obvious. Her words were becoming saturated in her harsh accent, a fire laced in her words. Her eye was just as critical as she was merciless. The man in question raised his eyebrows in surprise, hand grasping the handle of his unnecessarily large sword and releasing it again. His eyes bugged wide in surprise, thick chin dropping and meaty lips parting and closing again. His range of emotions flowered before her, moving from angry and insulted to nervous and self conscious. His comrades turned to look at him with jaws dropped in shock. The Myrian wasn't finished yet, though.

"And look at your formation. Considering how heavy and slow that middle wagon is, I can only assume that's the wagon that actually matters. You should be double flanking that thing. I can see a few nice dings in your back wagon even from here. You got jumped didn't you? Lost a few guys and now you've got holes all over the place. You need all the bodies you can get," She finished her rant, only then realizing how fast she had been speaking when she found herself almost out of breath.

Alright I might be wrong with the whole formations and bandits thing...But it sounded legit. So let's go with it.


"Listen, I'm not trying to get paid or anything. I just need a ride. I can hold my own. What do I need to do to earn my keep?" She asked in an almost melancholy manner, exasperated even from her own monologue. Realizing the message in her speech, she almost wondered if she should be turned tail and galloping as far as her stallion would take her. It was as if her last quote was some form of apology.

The men were utterly bewildered to say the least. Silence filled the space between female and mercenaries for several moments before finally...

"Gods be damned, I like this one! The first man piped up with a hearty laugh, taking in the expressions of his comrades. The second man still seemed pretty shaken up, and the archer just utterly speechless and pissed off. "Miss, we don't make the call, but you've got lot of fire in you. Follow me.




Last edited by Kaie on November 4th, 2013, 11:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on November 3rd, 2013, 5:39 pm

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The second man remained speechless, the third was clearly furious. He yanked up his crossbow so fast, Kaie was sure her sharp tongue had earned her an arrow. Instead the first man extended his hand across the bowman's chest. Without a word of protest the crossbow was lowered, but the animosity in his eyes did not yield. His pride was wounded. If Kaie did indeed manage to stick around, there was no doubt he'd be looking for revenge.

"Keep close and...Don't make eye contact. Alright, boys. Here we go. I'll be back in a minute," The old man advised before turning on his horse and trotting toward the front. The other two men stared at her hatefully as she followed him. As they rode toward the front, Kaie did her best not to eye the men following outside the wagons on their own mounts. She couldn't help but glance at them. Almost immediately she regretted that mistake. In their eyes was something so maleficent, she felt the need to turn and canter off as fast as her horse would take her. The Myrian knew exactly what it was inside those eyes. She'd seen almost every night at the Stallion. It was the same look in the eyes of the men who'd drag shyke faced woman by the wrists into the alley. Everyone knew what went down out there.

"Alright, Lass. Wait here.

And then he was off toward the front where three riders took point. After a few minutes the entire caravan stopped, which sent a wave of anxiety into the savage woman.

Why did they stop?

She was alone. All she had was this one guy who apparently like her fiery attitude. And that was just one for three. There was no telling whether or not whoever was in charge would see her worth. All in all, Kaie did not really like her odds.

Within a few moments, two riders returned. One being the first man and the other a tall man with black hair. His expression was hard and his features sharp. His skin was scarred, which was odd considering he wasn't even middle aged yet. So far he didn't seem sympathetic to the lone traveler.

"You have a name?" He asked in a detached manner that let her know he expected an answer just as straight forward. It seemed communication with this guy was going to be a little more to her style. The problem would be convincing him to see things her way.


"Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows," She answered evenly, her expression solemn and lacking anything short of business-like. He tugged at the reigns of his horse and and rode to her right side, sizing her up. No doubt he was taking in everything about her, studying her build just as much as he was her weapons. She mirrored him, analyzing him from top to bottom. Anything from the well toned muscles of his horse to the sword hanging from his hip. After a moment of their visual standoff, he finally addressed her.

"So you wish to come with us...Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows?'

Why was it that he said that more as an accusation than a question?


"I don't expect the..Kindness...To go unpaid," She added for good measure, though the look on the man's face was starting to distract her. His eyes were a dark grey so deep it seemed black. The steely glare was like trying to peer through stone.

"Good because we don't take just anyone along. Quin here says you're willing to participate. Let's hope you can learn to play a little better with others."


"Where would you like me to ride?"

"You must've misunderstood. You're not with us just yet, Kaie. We require certain sets of skills here. Dismount. Quin will hold your horse for you. Good luck," The dark haired speaker said without much emotion at all. He was speaking as if he as giving the most simple and mediocre of instructions. Kaie hadn't a clue what to think at that point.

Good luck? What the petch does that mean?

Yet she did as she was asked, and slowly slipped from the saddle to the earth. Quin took the horse's reigns and led it away from her as promised. All was fine until she noticed a circle of riders and their horses were forming a loose ring around her. A shirtless mountain of lithe muscle parted the sea to join her in its center. The Myrian woman turned to the dark haired man in pure bewilderment.

"His name is Adrian. We picked him up three miles back. Whoever wins gets to stay with us for the duration of the journey. And we realize anyone can swing a sword, so there will be no weapons," He replied just as two men stepped up to completely disarm both fighters. A darkness settled in Kaie's chest at the reality she was facing. There was one way out of this mess, and she could tell it wouldn't be too different from a cage match in the Spinning Coin.



Last edited by Kaie on November 5th, 2013, 1:15 am, edited 2 times in total.
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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on November 3rd, 2013, 7:09 pm

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"Let's make this one quick. We're already a little behind schedule," The man said off offhandedly to a nearby guard and rode out of view a moment later. Leaving Kaie with nothing but her opponent and a ring of spectators. He was bigger and stronger. Confident. She hadn't an idea what to expect from him.

Let's just get this over with I guess...


Adrian fell back into a fighting stance, his fists raised into a guard and he began to bounce back and forth on his toes.

Ohhh! A boxer!

Kaie grinned at that. Boxing sure wasn't her style, but she had seen it once before. In fact, the first time she saw it was in the Anthonious Fighter's Pit when she met Razkar of the Shorn Skulls. He was squaring off against Kisetukai, the most arrogant squire she had ever set eyes on. Yet all of that ironically had led her here to this point. Her "brother" had shown her the possibilities of life and purpose outside those wretched walls. Was it possible he had trials similar to this to get to the level he was at?

Kaie settled in her own fighting stance, bending her knees and bringing up her guard. She watched the man bounce around like some sort of weird animal. Kaie settled for remaining on the balls of her feet and watching him. He sure was a lively guy. Good cardio. He was ready to go, but was she?

He eased in toward her one foot before the other in his practiced dance. She didn't know where he had come from, but she could see his movements were smooth. Adrian knew what was what, and now she just needed to try to turn everything he knew upside down. What she knew needed to be able to make his style ineffective. This would be a new challenge for the jungle combatant.

The first punch came in like a crack of lightning, and Kaie was not adjusted to his level of play just yet. It cracked off her jaw in a manner that reminded her of the time in the Rearing Stallion. A time when a bar brawl ended with her being hit in the head with a chair. The effect was similar, sending the Myrian reeling off to the side, feet scrambling to keep her from toppling over.

Well shyke...

Adrian seemed to be embracing his moment of triumph over her. He never engaged right away. Instead he kept up that stupid bouncing, waiting for her to return her balance. Why didn't he just come after her when she was shaken up? Whatever the reason, Kaie didn't care. She found her bearings again and readied herself. At least she knew he could hit, and he knew she could take one.

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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on November 4th, 2013, 9:04 pm

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A few of the men laughed, amused to see a woman in the ring for a change. Kaie paid them no mind, treating them just as she had learned to in the cage match with Kyra. They were just background noise, not the real threat in front of her. As long as no one had a keg of ale waiting to be poured on her, she'd be in good shape. All she had to worry about was twinkle toes over there...

The Myrian woman rubbed her jaw, already feeling the soreness of the flesh and tissue. No doubt it was as red as a sunburn already. Yet it was no time to sit there internally whining about the aftermath of the first punch. Kaie was falling behind and it was time to even the score. She just needed to match his speed and hope all that practice in the jungle and the Fighter's Pit came full circle.

Adrian eased himself back in, bouncing and jerking his head around behind his guard like a bobble head. It was pissing her off actually, which made it far easier to motivate a hook punch around his guard. Kaie twisted her hips with the swing, hoping to catch him at an angle he wouldn't expect. Oh, she could feel it already. That satisfying thump of knuckles on skull. Maybe she'd split the skin if she caught him right.

But she missed. Just as her fist was about to hook the side of his head, Adrian bobbed and weaved under it, hurling a brutal one-two into her side.

Petchin' bastard!

Kaie was stumbling back almost immediately, hoping to fall back and put that precious space between them again. Again she had underestimated his quickness, and now she could feel the instant bruising forming on her body. The crowd let out a cheer, a few cringing at the efficiency of the counter. And Adrian was sitting petching bouncing...

The Myrian woman hustled back in with a growl, shrugging her shoulders and preparing herself for another try. But as the pain of the jabs became to pound like the steady rhythm of a wartime drum, the familiar burn of her gnosis came. It was a dull glow at first, but quickly it became the searing mark of the Goddess of War and Victory. And the Child of Myri was no longer alone. With the symbolic manifestation of her Mother, Kaie couldn't help but let a vicious grin cross her features. Her eyes darkened into the burning abyss of an iris framed in an amber blaze. Muscles tensed and her stamina increased just enough to bring her back to having an edge. Kaie felt complete, and her sudden sinister rise was noted by those who watched.

"Come on, Adrian! Finish her!"

Not just yet, Deyhan.

Now Kaie changed her tactic, a rolling snarl slipping from between clenched teeth as she made her own ambush. Just when she was close enough to engage, Adrian threw his fist out in hopes of catching her on the fly. Instead Kaie ducked under it, but rather than moving as he did before, Kaie powered right through him. If there was one thing she had observed in the match between Myrian and Boxing Squire, it was that the boxer was far more adept on his feet than the ground.



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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on November 4th, 2013, 9:28 pm

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Not expecting the woman to come under his guard in the manner she did, Adrian was forced backward off his feet with her momentum. He smashed his back into the earth with a grunt, working to get his guard back up for fear of her attacking his face. Yet the ring fighter should've known she was no boxer. She was no common fool who strolled the streets obliviously in nearby cities, living a peaceful and pacifistic life. He was her enemy. Kaie would injure and maim any part of him she could if it ensured her victory.

She began to pummel at his chest and his abs, causing him to shift his guard to protect his body, and as soon as she did she capitalized on his mistake. As soon as the left shifted to deflect an upper chest hit, Kaie hurled her fist right into his suck hole. Blood spilled from his mouth as his teeth cut his own lips. Her victory could never be that easy, though. Soon enough he had gotten a grip and hurled her off him, sending the savage Myrian woman rolling across the earth.

"Augh. Stupid bitch," Adrian spat upon returning to his feet, no doubt feeling the aftermath of her retaliation on his body. He spit at the ground between them. Blood seemed to coagulate on the sediment, a chip of a tooth with it. Kaie couldn't help but grin wryly as if showing off the fact her own teeth were still in tact.


"Ironic you say that considering the position I just put you in. I bet you find yourself on bottom a lot don't you?" She challenged, waggling her eyebrows at him in light of the point she just made. His eyes narrowed and brow furrowed, muscled flexing in restrained anger. Until it wasn't, bringing the boxer rushing in toward her with a new sense of tenacity. He swung a hook at her again, but she crouched beneath it and moved forward past his arm.

Looks like we hit a nerve. Let's try another.

Upon emerging from the other side, she swung the tip of her elbow right into the tender side of his back. Adrian exhaled sharply before whirling around swinging. Kaie had been backing off in anticipation of that, but he did manage to clip her in the shoulder during her retreat. That was not the end of their dance, for the furious fighters had something to prove to their audience, even with personal feelings aside. So Adrian returned.





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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on November 4th, 2013, 9:50 pm

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He was working her defenses now, coming in like a typhoon of fists. One, two, one, two was the rhythm of his dance and Kaie seemed to be always one step behind. Literally. He had her tangoing backwards, weaving around the boundary set by bodies of men, sometimes causing the line to bulge to make way for one of Kaie's last second dodges. Adrian was a powerful force and something along the lines of playing with fire. Each punch that reverberated off her blocks were powerful strokes of lightning upon her flesh. After being hit in the same spots repeatedly, it was far more comfortable for Kaie to see what she could dodge than anything else.

But you can't run around the ring forever.

Finally in his usual beat, Kaie found the perfect place to put a rest in his physical composition. Her moment came in the form of a straight punch for her head, after she tried to lure him in with her guard lowered. It worked and the fist came in just as she had hoped. He had become predictable and mechanical to the Myrian woman. And all would work to her favor, or so she hoped.

Just as he struck, Kaie stepped off center outside his body, redirecting his fist past her along the way. His eyes widened in shock, but no anger fueled punch could be generated at the rate she was already moving. By the time he would've turned his whole body and brought a fist back, her movement would be complete. Before long, she had the same hand clenched in a fist flying along the plane of his arm to his nose. It cracked off the bridge in a sickening noise, and by the amount of blood alone she could only assume it was broken.

Red gushed over his lips and down his chin. Some of the men around the circle pointed and laughed as if to say, "who would've thought?" Adrian stumbled back to try to regather himself, dabbing at his nose with his wrist. But the Myrian wouldn't let him go.

Kaie raced at him, the burn of her gnosis bright with the spilled blood. Adrian shook his head and abandoned the bleeding wound as she advanced, dark eyes letting her know he was ready. She arrived with a quick juke followed by a superman punch toward the side of his skull. But she was too slow and her movements weren't fluid enough to prove successful. Instead, Adrian pivoted on his heels and drilled her right in her guard hand. The force crossed her out and send her off course, landing unbalanced on the ground. Finally he advanced.




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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on November 4th, 2013, 10:08 pm

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By the time Kaie finally found her feet again, Adrian had already hit her twice in the back. His force sent her forward toward the dirt without much choice. Rather than land in a vulnerable position with him on her back, Kaie dipped her shoulder as she went down. Rolling forward and away from her attacker the Myrian rushed back to a stand and turned. She found Adrian only a step behind. All her instincts screamed at her to do something.

Impulsively, Kaie adjusted her left foot, turned her hips, and sent a low right kick into him leading shin. Overall it seemed pretty ineffective, which led the Myrian to back off again. But that's when an idea hit her, one that might've been the best way to put the fight away. And to preserve her own energy.

The boxer came toward her again, and Kaie stood there with her guard up. As soon as he was in range, she sent another low roundhouse to the same shin, and backed off. The crowd was grumbling now and some laughed at the meager move she was repeating. After all, how could she ever hope to win a fight like that?

"Quit moving and take a hit, Coward!" Adrian shouted furiously when she utilized the minor guerrilla tactic yet again, dancing out of his range. Kaie's lip curled in response. She might've been impulsive, sharp tongued, and a little self imposing, but not a coward. Never.

They repeated the process thrice more, the boxer coming in too close for comfort and the Myrian thwacking her shin right into his. Sometimes he managed to get a hit in, and there was a moment he succeeded and backing from her kick. By the time her final kick had struck, however, there was a noticeable change to the fighter's stance. He was slower and a little less balanced. Now a few spectators were nudging each other and pointing down at Adrian, eyebrows raised as they realized the method to her madness. Adrian's shin had swelled up like it had fallen victim to a fatal attack of Flying Leeches in the Kandutka Basin. It was welted up as high and red as a large apple, spanning from the middle of the bone to the base of his ankle. From the looks of it, Kaie had all but taken his leading foot out of the equation.


"What happened to your bounce, you petching foot fairy?" Kaie punished him bitterly, practically hissing the taunt in retaliation to his last. For no more was the boxer bouncing around like he was prior to the injury. It brought a special glow to her heart. And a burst of confident burn in her gnosis.


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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on November 4th, 2013, 11:12 pm

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Adrian's face contorted with something she could only describe as pure rage. He remained speechless though, clearly aware she was right. He was lost the bravado of a lithe boxer, and reality was setting in on him. If he wanted to close the fight in his favor, he had to figure something out. Something...

Kaie shrugged her shoulders and returned to all seriousness. The accusation of coward still rung in her ears, and she was on a quest to make him pay for it. It was blasphemous to her. She was a Myrian, a faithful follower of Myri. She was destined to be a warrior when she returned to Falyndar, and this was just another one of life's many tests. When it came down to it, she was expected to die on the battlefield before she made a cowardly retreat from adversity. It wasn't the way. Kaie wasn't being governed by some self righteousness or pride in those notions. Rather she was unwilling to accept falling below the standard of her Mother. Failing the Goddess Queen, whom had gifted her with such a blessing and welcomed her into society as a true Myrian, was unspeakable and unbecoming.

She ceased any further trash talk in that moment and settled instead of action. When Adrian made his way in toward her, Kaie was prepared to take the guy down without much difficulty. In fact it would have to be a cake walk from that point on. The guy practically had one leg at his disposal anyways. It was that young confident that nearly destroyed her.

Instead of a simple round of slow and powerless jabs, Adrian came in like a pissed off Tskanna. First came the wild punches too untamed and sloppy for the unarmed combatant to simple counter. And when he had her distracted behind her guard, he lunged at her in a tackle to the ground. He then began to throw punched down at her even before he had probably seated himself over her. Kaie could do nothing for some time besides block her face. Her gnosis growled murderously from her flesh, a fire in her building with no where to go. He had hit once in her ribs and tried to drill through her forearms when he was torn off her. Like she had numerous times with previous sparring partners, Kaie bucked him up and over her shoulders with her hips.

Adrian hit the ground with a sputter. He cried out as soon as he tried to get back to his feet, but when he did, Kaie was already furiously on him. Her eyes were wild and lacking traces of civility she had picked up over the years. Replacing it was the untamed jungle predator. When he punched wildly, Kaie stepped in to stop it at the shoulder. Too close in for him to get a good hit on her with his other arm, Kaie stepped through and reaped him with her leg at the back of his knee. The boxer went down while the Myrian controlled his arm the whole way through. That's when Kaie sent her heel right into his already broken nose.

"Finish him, woman! Get him while he's down!"

Kaie did not look at the cheering travelers. She was in her own world where only Adrian, the touch of the Goddess Queen, and herself existed. And all was finally coming to a well earned close. Adrian's might've packed a punch, but without the ability to generate power and balance from his legs, the fight became one sided. His furious punches had fatigued him more than Kaie's actions did for her own. It was time to end the fight and join the caravan as victor.

Kaie kept a hold of his arm and stepped over him, yanking his body along to do her bidding. He obediently rolled onto his stomach. He sputtered another patch of blood on the ground only several inches from his own mouth. He looked like shyke to say the least. His face was caked in blood from his nose, red dribbling down his neck toward his chest. The bridge of his nose was visibly broken and off center. Petch, the poor guy's eyes were only half open. She stared down at the man, gripping his arm indecisively. In the position she was in, she could've easily broken him arm. But that was unnecessary. Adrian hardly showed much fight at all. There was no purpose in her sending the beaten man on his way with a broken limb, too. Out here, that would be sentencing him to death.

"What are ya waitin' fo'? Finish the bastard!"

If you insist...

And just like that it was over with a swift kick to the side of his head. The guy was out, or at least hardly conscious. A few cheers erupted, men gave up loot to lost bets, and the circle broke away. Some even dared to approach her like they were about to congratulate her, or maybe try their own luck in a match. Yet all else was halted by the action of one figure. And as his presence brought silence, all the savage heard was the slow, loud clap behind her.

"Not bad, Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows. You win,"The dark haired gentleman congratulated, walking toward the center of the broken circle. His expression was still hard and serious, and somehow his words seemed more sarcastic than pleased.


"Thank you," She answered in return, trying to mask the doubt and uncertainty in her voice. There was no need to be cocky in her victory, especially when she had no idea what fate was to befall he next. Could it be she had won and he would still deny her entry?

"Yumen. Henry. Get our good friend Adrian up please. We wouldn't want him to miss the announcements of the results, right?"

Now she was really feeling uneasy about the whole thing. Two men, Yumen and Henry apparently, appeared beside the boxer. One slapped at his face in an attempt to wake him up. Another started to pull him up toward his feet. After a moment, Adrian did awaken. With the help of the dark haired man's people, he rose to his feet.

"Look! There he is! Well fought battle, my friend. But as I said before, this is survival of the fittest! And...Well... You're just not the fittest. I apologize, Adrian. It's just...Natural selection," He explained to the defeated man in a manner so simple even Kaie saw the elementary aspects of it. Natural selection. Survival of the fittest. While it was never really put that way, Kaie knew what it meant. She had been living that way most of her life. Someone had just put it into words.

The dark haired gentleman strolled up to the bloodied boxer as he finished his short monologue. His expression was almost mock apologetic. There was something really wrong with the picture, and Kaie's hairs began to stand on end. And that's when the sword went through Adrian's chest.

A silence befell the caravan as the fighter gagged and collapsed into the dirt. Kaie watched with wide eyes, shock riddling her face in the moment she thought not to conceal it. All that time she thought she had been fighting simply for a place to ride along with supplies and protection. Now she understood she had been fighting for her life, too. In every fight, she fought to preserve herself, but this was different. What the man implied and what the reality was, was entirely separate things. But just because the meaning was different than she thought, did that mean he lied?






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[Cobalt Mountains] Caravans Equal Safe Travels?

Postby Kaie on November 4th, 2013, 11:52 pm

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All seemed to stand there only watching the dying man, whose suffering didn't last longer than several moment. By the time it was through, Kaie had smoothed over her expression to become placid. It would appear as if she wasn't even phased by the sudden, unpredicted death of Adrian the boxer. When the dark haired man turned to approach her then, Kaie was physiologically prepared. Even her eyes were cold as lava turned to obsidian.

"Well, my little victor, you have earned the chance to stay. Glad to have you on board. Why don't you ride point with me?" He began matter of factly. A voice began to speak up in displeasure at his offer to the woman, one which the dark haired man shot down almost immediately with only a look. He was intimidating even to his own men it seemed. "That way I can move Eugene to flank the middle wagon like you suggested so kindly earlier. Besides, I'd like to get to know who I'm riding with a little more. What do you say?"


"Sounds just dandy."

"Perfect. Quin. Boys? Return our first lady her things?"

A few heads nodded and disappeared. Quin entered almost immediately with her ebony mount in tow, much to Kaie's relief. She took the reigns from the man and gave him a nod of thanks. The black beast stomped its feet impatiently, clearly growing tired of standing around. She would wait for further orders before mounting though.


"I'm sorry only the pack, sword, and bow is mine," Kaie said with a shake of her head, taking only her things held by one man who approached her. The other stared at her expectantly, but Kaie did not reach out toward him. What he held in his hands did not belong to her. They were not hers. It would be wrong to take them.

"When you ride with us, you keep what you kill. You didn't kill him, but you won the fight. His pack stays, but you may take your pick of the rest. Let's be honest. It's not like Adrian will be needing that anymore, will he?"

The Myrian's eyes widened some in realization, but rather than insulting the man and his ways of running the group, Kaie allowed herself to take a look at the offered items. The man kept the pack, but dropped several items found inside worth her interest. After careful examination of each, there was only one that caught Kaie's eye. She reached out and touched the odd mechanism, only to find it a trigger that sprung a knife. The Myrian woman's eyes sparkled with surprise and delight. Her hands wrapped around the non-lethal end of the dagger eagerly.

"Good choice. It seems our little boxer had something up his sleeve didn't he?"

The pun was a little on the pathetic side, but Kaie didn't acknowledge that obvious fact. Instead she flashed him a smile as if she had actually took pleasure in it. He didn't return it, but came her way anyways.

"My name is Trent Kritz. You'll follow my lead and only my orders, understand? Good. We'll be heading out in two chimes so get your stuff together and ride to the front."

Just as Kaie turned to grip the saddle and mount her stallion, Trent leaned in close to her ear and gripped her shoulder. His grasp was iron-like and his words cold and threatening in her ear, "If you ever question my judgement and tactics like you did back there again, I'll run you through. Are we clear?"


"Crystal clear, Trent," Kaie confirmed, a darkness coming over her own demeanor and saturating her tone. Trent only grinned in a sinister fashion and patted her back before heading back on his way. Kaie's steely glare followed him, noting his dress and his movements.

"Someone clean up that mess. Don't want any of Syliras' Finest knowing we're in the area do we?"

By the time Kaie had packed herself up, returned her weapons to her body, and yanked herself up onto the saddle, she found men had already ransacked the corpse. What wasn't covered in blood was taken from his body, and surely that included his coin pouch, too. And as she clicked the reigns, she couldn't help but take a good hard look at the man once named Adrian. Bloodied to a pulp from face to body, his grave was a pool of his own blood. And just like the girl from woods, the one whose face still haunted her dreams now and again, Adrian the Boxer faded from her thoughts. For how else was she to move forward when she was stuck on the image of the dead?


ReceiptAs reward for her winnings, Kaie received a wrist knife to be counted as loot. I will add this to her possessions if this is permitted.





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Kaie
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