Closed Watch me soar [Zandelia and Fallon]

[Fallon]

If all battles were thought of as a game, then this would be akin to the moment of rolling the dice of fate and seeing what side it landed on. It was a marking of success, a calculation of points, moments and opportunities all being added together to result in the conclusion. The question was however, as the metaphorical die was rolled, was it enough? As Zandelia moved, Fallon followed suit, kukri drawn from its sheath, a testing flick within her grasp as she shifted. Her free hand came out, clawed and ready to grasp as Zandelia was upon the further. Barely a gasp of a gurgle as she stabbed into him.

Fingers grasped around fabric, a pull forward with her left before she brought her head crunching down upon him. He staggered, stunned and still looking to grasp upon his blade as she brought the kukri hacking into him. Shoulder into the neck, she pulled it back once more as it gave a hissing crack and a crunch. It ripped, a push to the side as the dead weight fell and the body twitched within its death throes. She gave a place upon the back door, a small pressing of a nudge as her ears prickled and listened. Beyond she could hear the shouting of Markus, the clatter of steel as he tried to make himself known to the leader. Her head gave a cock to the inside gaze peering inwards to the scene. To the right of the door was a stack of crating that could be ducked behind, the other side she spied the pens of the slaves as they were ushered in. He had yet to notice them by the looks of things and so it was with a nudge of the door she opened it enough for them to slip inside and duck behind the crating.

Clambering down, her eyes gave a peer from beneath her hood, a blink as the shapes moved and the larger doors were swung open. It was there that she could see the pacing of Markus, prowling almost as he gave his points and pressed his intentions. It was barely that she breathed a whisper to Zandelia, "What now? They seem distracted by him." She peeled back, a glance down to the kukri and then the clenched knuckles, "Sneak up behind and grab? Or..." A soft clearing of the throat, she sheathed the blade away and gave a nudging hint to her magic, "Could use that. But... witnesses." There was the order to attack, and with it Fallon gave a curse. There was no time for making decisions, at least none that could be clear cut and defined. She gave a point of the finger, her thoughts barely ripping out, "Loop round the right edge, then we'll pincer in. I'll try and take out the one with the cutlass. Make it quick and quiet."

She shifted, form low and slinking as she treaded. She met the left wall, a crouching as she stuck into the shadows. The smallest of clinks as she met the kukri hilt once more, the slow and gentle pulling as the blooded blade was released from its bindings. His back was to her for the moment, the firm grasping of one of the slaves making her innards boil. Teeth gave a flash, another duck down as she pulled back. Leathers creaked, the quivering noise of fear as the guards continued to move outwards to the knight and the combat. Freedom would come soon, but the costs with it was the question. Barely a growl rumbled from her throat, a quick pace across to the cutlass wielder, fingers bared as she reminded herself of the seasons ago. Solo fighting, using what was to her name, another life it seemed.

Fingers clapped over his mouth, the initial momentary struggle as she looped the blade round. It struck, not a moment of hesitation as she primed her mind only to one thing - killing. A necessary evil to bring them a step closer. Her back foot gave a stagger, the slow gentle easing as she gingerly took the cutlass before it slipped and lowered both to the ground. Her finger raised to her lips, the cage door still ajar as she looked in to the hungry and startled faces within, before she simply hushed them with a whisper, "Not a sound."

It was with a point that she gestured to the back door, unguarded and absent before she made a move once more - her target sited, it now moved once more. Kukri returned, a grasp upon the tulwar hilts as she prowled in. A flicker of a glance to where Zandelia should be, the final glance before the closing in of the 'kill'. Just had to hope it was enough.

[Zandelia]

“It seems that we are at war whether we like it or not. Personally I like stealth but it was not to be. So be it. Be safe, be smart, be quick” she nodded as the order was given, more suggestion than anything else, but smart enough that she followed suit.

There was the quick glancing around, trying to map the interior of this new slave pen in but a few moments. It was pointless, there were too many cruel or unusual looking items scattered about to form a full memory of it. The important pieces though, the cages and the crates, barrels and nets that were too large to be anything but a barrier – these she remembered for the most part. Fallon slipped away like the mists themselves and she slunk to the right in response, the path chosen for her in this assault. She kept as low as she could, hiding herself as she went. She saw many locked away and it angered her. She saw locks but there were n keys hanging upon pegs, nothing to suggest a way of opening the cells. She rounded a barrel and was brought up short – time frozen.

Before her there was a man, drawing a longbow and aiming at the melee that Kvist was at the heart of. The storm was raging at the moment but soon enough it would lull, long enough to present a gap for the archer to not hit his own comrades. She inhaled deeply and gripped the daggers in her fingers, she pushed herself up and circled around behind the man as quietly as she could. Directly behind him now she stepped forwards – once, twice, thrice. Her toe hit chain and the slithering rattle as it fell from the rafters told the archer she was behind him. She dived forwards and to the side, he circled and let fly but missed. As he dream another arrow she threw one of the daggers at his chest, not enough time to get a true attack so the blade did not bite properly but it did cause him to stagger backwards. Darting forwards now she was upon him, second dagger stabbing down into his abdomen. Several times she shoved it down, pulled it up and shoved it once more.

“Free us!”

“Quiet you idiots” she hissed back at the nearby caged wretches.

“Keys, he has keys. Please!”

“I said quiet or I’ll end up dead too” she muttered as she patted him down until the tell-tale noise of ringed metal was found. She quickly wriggled them out and threw them at the cages, “free yourself and head out the back. We’ve cleared that path” she told them.

She looked over the crates as she retrieved her weapons, spying out Fallon and Kvist once more. It seemed to be going well enough so far, she hoped that it would continue. She knew, however, that it was only a matter of time before something unexpected drew them off balance. The longer this battle continued the more likely such an outcome would be. She slipped her daggers back into their sheaths and pulled out her tonfa now, this was not the time for amateur weaponry. This was the time to brutal efficiency. She looked behind her and saw that the cage was now open – to their credit they were trying to open up the other cells along the way too. Sadly some refused to leave their prisons, perhaps until they were sure they were not going to be hunted like dogs.

“Where are they now then, your guards?” she asked the world in general as she stood up then and looked for the quickest path to join the fight.