Flashback Drop of Silver Blood

[Ascen]

Winter 31rst, 515 AV Location: Near of Sunberth The sky was painted with a beautiful scarlet as the sea salt breeze combs through the many blades of green grass. The sun can be seen almost hovering above the western horizon while bathing Mizahar with its warm and welcoming rays of light. With the sky being partially cloudy that only briefly covers up the sun a few occasions. It seemed like a potentially good day for the Silver Hand. Even though they were all sitting behind the lip of a grassy hill while watching over the main road that leads into Sunberth. Ascen was of course amongst the Silver Hand, though it’s not a big group in the first place. The Silver Hand consist of four individuals. Including Ascen, there’s Sabrina Losswell, a human  female who was the second in command of the Silver Hand group and also their main intelligence gatherer. The weapon specialist was an Akalak named Ashtok Storm-rider, and is considered to be Ascen’s teacher in unarmed combat. Finally the leader of the group was a human of mixed blood with the Dhani named Rick Valentine. Together they make the Silver Hand as a mercenary group who traveled almost throughout the world of Mizahar save for the Taldera region and most of Kalea region. A group that has been around since 511 AV, but Ascen didn’t join until 512. “Our target is named Kalvin Brinewood, a human with short dark brown hair and a bit overweight. Most likely traveling inside of the caravan, so we need to strike the pan while it is still hot.” Sabrina was telling the group as Ashtok nodded his head in agreement while keeping his wings low before responding. “My blades are ready as ever.” Ascen on the other hand was simply looking up at the scarlet dyed sky while noting how cold it was as well. Kalvin, their target, was a con artist who managed to steal a rather valuable sword from an knight of the Syliran Knights and attempted to hide in the midst of Sunberth’s shadow. Fortunately, word had gotten to Sabrina and since they needed the mizas anyways the Silver Hand volunteered to retrieve the sword. They were camping out at Sunberth's outskirt while Sabrina was out drinking at the Drunken Fish with Rick. When a merchant who had just arrived from Syliras was telling the story of the theft. Ashtok nudged Ascen with his dark elbow as he was trying to get the lad’s attention. Of course Ascen holds a lot of respect for Ashtok since they practically share a master-student bond. So naturally he almost immediately responded to Ashtok by turning his gaze to see Ashtok gesturing his head over to the southwest area. Without a word being spoken, Ascen turned his head over to where Ashtok was gesturing to and can see the dark silhouettes of a small box shape that’s slowly approaching them. Ascen makes the final adjustments on his gauntlet on his right arm where cold iron blades can be seen crawling along the back of his gauntlet. After he made sure his gauntlet was secured functionally, Ascen made slight adjustments to the knuckledusters on his left fist as he was making sure that the metal plates over his knuckles were in place and secured as well. “Ivak, please overwatch this skirmish and pray that your flames are kind to these souls who are only caught at the wrong place and wrong timing. May the spirits that flows in my will of fire burn brighter to consume the obstacles that stand in my path. Such is the way of life and change.” Ascen muttered under his breath almost into a prayer for extra assurance that their job is going to be fine in the end. It normally is fine, though thanks to Ascen being paranoid he believes there’ll come a time when a mistake ends up into a big mistake. Ashtok seemed to be the only one out of the three who agrees with Ascen and proceeds to be alert and cautious. They all crawled over to the side in order to avoid being seen for that silhouette is too far still to see them. However the Silver Hand still has to be careful on not being spotted until they have the element of surprise.

[Ascen]

Ascen’s specialty amongst the group was his ability to use Reimancy, and while he is technically still in training for experience Ascen has proven countless times of how useful his magic is. No one else in the party seem to be into magic, although Ashtok is understandable considering that he’s more of a warrior type. Ascen took the time they were using to wait for the caravan as he ponders on what to use that would effectively work for this situation. If there were guards escorting the caravan then Ascen plots that if he simply produced his Res into a thin gas Ascen could manipulate it over to the middle of the caravan. Where he could transform the Res into the element of air just as he molds into a rushing torrent. It might throw off the guards due to the force of wind, but one thing Ascen has encountered a problem with is that could possibly cause panic amongst the horses dragging the caravan. Which can result in the horses bolting as fast as it can away from the sense of danger. However a brilliant idea had come into his mind regarding about what to do with the wagon. Ascen could instead mold his Res into a ball before throwing it and igniting it into a ball of fire at one of the wheels. Even if the horses get spooked from the flames, if there’s too much pressure on the burning wheel can cause it break off and throw everything inside of the wagon to the side. Least to say Ascen doesn’t intend on really hurting anybody unless they provoke him into harming them. Plus even if the wagon was to still able to move, Ascen figures he could utilize the wind to produce a strong gust of air along the side of the wagon to help spread the fiery embers into a raging fire. “Ascen, see if you can use your magic to burn the cloth covering the wagon so that Ashtok can swoop in and snatch the oaf from his seat.” Rick ordered Ascen before the young man actually took a peek from the hill down at the caravan. Ascen’s second idea would have been a bust because the wheels are made out of iron from the looks of it. The wheels were definitely not made out of wood. “But wouldn’t that risk injuring the others?” Ascen couldn’t help but ask that question for he was concerned for their safety. Rick had a sly smirk on his face before turning his attention over to Ascen. “Kid, these men are ready to put a dagger in us once we start. We don’t have the luxury to be concerned about our enemy’s well being. We have to hit them hard and finish strong.” Ascen seemed to frown a bit as he couldn’t help but wonder if there was any other travelers in that wagon. Once a sigh escapes from the dried lips of Ascen’s, he backs away from the top of the hill so that he could use his hands as gestures while muttering to himself. “Be lit upon the fire of salvation. Let the flames take form of your body and my will to purify those who have wronged us.” In truth this speech serves no real effect on the magic itself. This is only helping him focus on producing his Res and form it into a tennis ball size. “With the burning passion that beats in my heart, and the air that flows from my lungs. Let this be the day of change, in hopes for a better place.” The Res is flowing from the palms of Ascen’s hands as he’s weaving his fingers and motioning with his gestures to help mold the produced Res into the ball in the size of his palm. Ascen would crawl up to the top of the hill while using the blades of grass to help cover his presence. From there Ascen has a clear view of the caravan. Where he can make out three humanoid figures that’s outside of the wagon. Two appears to be carrying bows and arrows while under the cover of their fur cloaks. The third is the driver of the wagon who holds the reins of two horses. Ashtok spread his wings widely before taking flight through the bitter cold air. Which served as a signal in Ascen’s perspective as he used the ball of Res to gather the wind from the breeze. Then he launches the sphere of Res towards the caravan and proceeds to ignite the sphere on fire just before it went out of his range that costed less of a toll to make due to Ascen utilizing the wind to aid the fire. Ashtok made sure to hold back on the flight speed to allow the ball of fire to strike first. The two bowmen looked up when they saw a dark shadow rising up from the hill and mistook Ashtok to be a Zith. Hence of them drawing the strings and launching two arrows at Ashtok’s path. By wrapping his body with the folds of his wings Ashtok barrel rolls out of the projectile’s path and successfully evades the attack. Meanwhile, the orb of magical fire strikes the cloth covering that wagon near the bowmen on the right side. Upon impact the orb consumed the cloth into a raging fire while faint traces of grey smoke can be seen. Along with it came the scream of agony as the cloth continued to burn and pieces of the burnt cloth is stripped away into the wind and scatters its ashes. Rick brings out a crossbow that already had the string drawn before he placed a steel tipped bolt on the flight groove. After taking a moment to aim, Rick shot the bolt that slightly dips down in a small arc before it pierces into a bowmen’s right shin. Making that man bared his teeth in pain after he yelped while dropping the arrow he just picked out of his quiver and holding onto his leg. The horses started to panic, and with the driver flicking the reins to urge the horses these two magnificent beasts galloped faster. Ashtok could see a man on the back of the wagon where the fire had exposed the interior. With the target in sight, Ashtok swooped down at a fast pace and with his wings mostly tucked behind him for extra speed on the descent. Ashtok at the last chime expanded his wings to slow his descent while flipping his body backwards in order to deliver a flight version of a drop kick onto the man’s chest at a horizontal angle. Causing the man to be forced off his feet and crash into the other side of the wagon that hasn’t been burnt off. But due to the fact that part of the cloth isn’t stable. The cloth almost gives way and the only reason the cloth is keeping the man up is because the cloth is still connected with the other knobs and iron frames. Ashtok took a moment to look around in the wagon before his eyes catch a gleam of silver. The source of the silver belonged to a silver hilt that has been polished and decorated with copper that seems to have been forged with the silver. The hilt was attached into a blade that was rather long for a longsword, yet too small to be a two handed greatsword. The hilt was big enough to where one can wield it with two hands, but it also looks comfortable to be held with one hand as well. Seeing as this was the only sword in the wagon, Ashtok assumed this was the desired sword they needed to acquire. So he bent over to snatch the sword up from the floor just as a sudden gust of strong wind almost forced the wagon to crash on its side. Luckily the wagon was only riding on one wheel as it tilted to the side for a moment before coming back down on both wheels. With the sudden unstable ground, Ashtok had to recover his footing while keeping a firm grip on the sheathed sword.

[Ascen]

The cause of the sudden gust of strong winds was the results of Ascen producing a bit more Res in a gas form. Using the breeze, Ascen merely increased the wind speed through a limited use of his Res turned into air. With the wind being invisible and flowing very much like a tunnel. Ascen made sure that it would strike the caravan before it dispersed to calm wind. Of the course the result of a quick succession in his magic has caused him to be slightly exhausted. These were merely simple spells that Ascen was casting, a small sized fireball that utilized the already existent wind, and now simply increasing the wind speed at a limited fashion to shake the wagon a little. However Ascen is aware that he is near his limit before he really starts pushing it. Ascen estimates that he can cast either the fireball or increase the wind speed about two more times before he becomes exhausted. So, just to be on the safe side he holds off on the magic as he waits and see what happens next. Ascen hoped the sudden tilt of the wagon would aid Ashtok in some way and it certainly made the four men yell while holding onto dear life of the railings. Or at least the bowmen were. The driver simply hugged the bowmen that wasn’t injured while praying to the gods for mercy. Ashtok grabbed the sheathed sword with his free hand before he leapt forward to escape the back entrance of the wagon so that he can fully expand his wings. By flapping his wings a couple of times as fast as he could to keep himself from falling the ground, Ashtok glides over the road for a moment before the Akalak flapped his wings to gain the altitude he needs to fly comfortably. The wagon of course kept going despite the driver pulling on the reins trying to get the horses to stop. The bowmen even flipped the brake on the wagon but the horses were practically dragging the wagon at this point. Mostly because there’s still flames flickering and eating away at the cloth are increasing the panic on the horse’s mind. Ascen thought they were going after the man who stole the sword in the first place, but it seems their top priority is to secure the stolen weapon first. They can hear the shouting coming from the caravan as the driver seemed to have regain some control of the horses as it does a wide U turn. One of the bowmen had notched another arrow to his bow and pulls back the drawstring while aiming directly at Rick’s body. Rick had raised his crossbow after loading up another bolt and aims at the horses. Ascen stiffens a bit as he can’t help but feel a bit guilty for the horses and unfortunately Sabrina saw it. Both the bowman and Rick had fired their projectiles at their targets. Ascen reacted on instinct as he moved up to Rick’s back and grabbed the back of Rick’s shirt only to pull him over to the side which forced Rick to the ground. Unfortunately it wasn’t fast enough for the arrow bit through Rick’s left arm and a red slash can be seen on the man’s arm. The bolt sailed over to the galloping horses as it buries itself deep into one of the horse’s right shoulder. Ascen’s eyes grew cold with sympathy towards the horse once he witnessed the events that transpired. The horse that was pierced immediately collapsed to the ground as the wagon not only ran over the fallen horse, but the wagon even flipped completely over to the side. The metal bar that once separated the two horses and kept them in line had crushed into the other horse’s legs. Causing the second horse to fall on its side as well, but it doesn’t slide like the wagon did as it partly crashed into the fallen horse. Underneath Ascen’s eyes was the raging flame of anger as his right hand clenched tightly to the point that his knuckles are white. It’s not the first time Ascen and his group had to make these calls. However Ascen always had a soft spot for animals, so seeing him being furious despite his attempt to conceal his emotions is not that uncommon. The bowman who was previously shot in the leg had been flung off the wagon to where he was safe from the wagon’s descent. The driver on the other hand was not only forced down on the ground, but the driver was also crushed between the weight of the wagon and the horse that they had crashed into. The second bowman had been a little fortunate than the driver, but the bowman had his entire right side pinned by the horse and wagon. Rick was clenching onto his wound on the arm before Sabrina took out some cloth and proceeds to bandage up Rick’s wound. It didn’t take much longer before Ashtok descends to land beside Ascen with the sword in his hands. Ashtok only took one look at Ascen’s face that had turned red from the anger and followed his gaze over to the horses. A sense of understanding comes across Ashtok’s expression as if he can relate to what Ascen was feeling. “I understand that you didn’t want to harm any of the horses, but just like the people we have to deal with we have to take the best tactic available to us. Rick made the right decision to shoot the horses instead of the humans for it has saved us from expending more resources than we have to.” As much as Ascen hated to admit, he knew that Ashtok was right and in truth Ascen had expected this outcome. Yet he also tried to avoid it as much as possible. Additionally Ascen isn’t angry at Rick specifically for Rick didn’t make those horses turn around. Ascen was angry at those people who are left alive. In truth Ascen pictured a magnificent bonfire as the magical flames lick and crisp their corpses. That’s how much Ascen was angry at them and he was really tempted to do so. However Ascen swallowed his anger for the time being before turning around to face Rick who had just been bandaged up. “We should start heading towards Syliras immediately. At least as much distance as possible before night falls upon us.” Ascen told to the group specifically even though that was obvious to begin with. Although Ascen’s words seemed to have pushed them forward as they all began their walk along the main road over to Syliras. With Rick and Sabrina leading while Ashtok walks in the middle as he was holding onto the sword with a firm grip. Ascen brought up the rear and kept an eye out for anything unusual from his perspective.

[Ascen]

The travel was shortly halted after three bells of walking along the main road. The Silver Hand didn’t really get that far as they have only traveled up to ten miles at a rough estimation. At that time night has fallen and Rick was starting to get a bit anxious with there being little to no light. The only light source they currently have without being the beacon to all predators is the waning crescent moon, and that wasn’t much light at all. Although Ashtok claimed that he could see just fine under this lighting, none of the other three could see that well. Ascen had eventually quelled with his anger as the walking was enough to be lost in his thoughts and find inner peace with himself. However, Ascen has been getting this odd feeling nagging at the back of his mind like he’s being watched. When Ascen looked around all he saw was the terrain and the sun going down with the moon rising up in it’s place. But it simply wouldn’t go away and it even made Ascen question if his paranoid quirk has gotten worst now. In truth he can’t help but get the feeling that those men are going to try to follow them. “We should camp at one of the crest of these hills for tonight. Preferably away from the main road’s view to avoid unwanted attention.” Rick suggested as Ashtok took his eyes up at the night’s sky. Ascen thought that Ashtok was looking at the stars, but then a second thought came to him that what if Ashtok is concerned about Zith hunting parties tonight? Sure Ashtok had killed some Zith as it was required for him to obtain a surname in the first place. Plus Ashtok had always threatened Ascen when he was a much younger lad that if Ascen didn’t get stronger and skilled then he would be bait for the Zith. However that was to get Ascen motivated to progress further into his training. “No fire tonight. It’s best if we find tall grass and use them as cover.” Ashtok more of commanded the group rather than suggesting. Ascen knew better than to question Ashtok’s instincts, though the other two didn’t seem share the same type of concern. “A small fire won’t hurt for a short period of time. Just enough to get this wound of Rick’s sealed up.” Sabrina protested that only seem to be awarded by a fierce glare coming from those dark eyes of Ashtok’s. Ashtok used a chime to ponder over the decision for he can’t help but get the heavy gut feeling that something is watching from the sky. “Would ten chimes at best work?” Ascen suggested as even he has to admit that it would be reckless to leave that wound untreated for that arrow could have been poisoned. Sabrina gives her nod as a silent way of saying yes before Ashtok responded finally in a reluctant manner. “Fine, but be quick about it. The more time spent on the fire the more of a target we become.” With that being said, the group found a decent spot to rest behind the crest at the one of many grassy hills where they gathered enough sticks and dead grass into a pile. Sabrina asked Ascen for permission to ignite the fire with his magic, mostly because she has a hint that using magic takes a toll on his body more than moving around physically. Ascen gives his nod in acknowledgement before he produce only a tiny bit of Res and guided it over to the small pile of grass and sticks. Shaped into a gas the Res was as it seeped into the middle of the pile before Ascen ignites the spark of flame to get it started. It wasn’t enough to set a campfire on the spot, but with Sabrina lightly blowing into the pile and feeding it more dead grass and sticks to produce a small campfire. This particular use of magic didn’t really do any harm to Ascen, but still he refrained from using it any further than he already has. Ascen had already warned Rick and the others about the consequences Ascen faces when he’s using Reimancy. So they knew better than to make Ascen push himself beyond his limits. Ashtok, giving Ascen’s condition, suggested on training Ascen during the beginning days of being in the group. Ascen of course agreed, and Ashtok taught him a particular style that relies more on defense than offense. Least to say it was something that Ascen can protect himself with if he’s being conservative on his magic. About five chimes had passed since the fire has been lit upon the small circle of stone. Occasionally being stoked and fed by Ashtok to keep it lit while Sabrina was submitting primitive healing to Rick’s wound by applying a burning stick. Luckily Rick was biting down onto the hilt of his dagger to reduce the level of screaming in agony from his lips. Ascen could still hear Rick’s voice once the burn started, but it was muffled to some extent. The night was quiet save for the crickets making their calls and the occasional gust of light wind blowing over the hill. However Ascen still can’t shrug off the feeling that they’re being watched. Ascen’s fear of being more paranoid than usual had gotten to the point where even Ashtok could see it on the lad’s face. Ashtok mumbled to Ascen as the Akalak was trying to be considerate. “What is going through that head of yours?” Ascen’s eyes shifted from the crisping fire over to Ashtok’s dark skin that has some tattoos displayed on his face. “I don’t know… I keep getting the feeling that some crow is watching us. For quite a while actually.” Ascen admitted before suddenly getting a chill crawling down his spine. A certain chill that made Ascen look up at the night’s sky. With the fire serving as a light, even if Ascen squinted his eyes he could barely make out the stars in the sky. Even Ashtok looked up at the sky trying to see what Ascen was searching for, but he couldn’t see much either. Mostly because both of their eyes are adjusted to the light of fire to see that well in the dark. Ascen shook his head trying to dismiss his paranoia aside to think clearly before it drives him mad. “I could just be going insane after all.” However Ashtok shook his head in disagreement on that note. “No, you’re very sane from what i can tell. Of course i may not know what it is you’re feeling, but I too am feeling like we’re being watched.” Eventually after ten more chimes had passed which was a bit more time than it was supposed to have taken. However Sabrina had to apply some ointment on Rick’s burn to reduce the uncomfortable burning sensation. Plus even with the fire out there was still a bit of smoke coming from the circle of stones. With it being night though, neither of the group members didn’t worry about it too much for who would be able to see a thin string of smoke in the middle of the night? So the Silver Hand nestled close together, mostly hidden by the tall grass and covered from visual sight of the main road. Rick took up the first watch as he was still allowing the burn to subside from the pain. It gave him some time to heal before he could sleep comfortably. Two bells had passed since Rick took the first watch of the night, and with their fire gone Rick can see a bit more in the darkness. Not to where he can see in clear detail, but just enough to pick out dark silhouettes amongst the grass where little vermin and rodents dwell. At this point Rick was starting to feel the veil of exhaustion creeping along the back of his mind. His eyes started to get droopy and Rick even caught himself almost falling asleep on the spot. Rick was going to give it about an extra thirty chimes before he switches place with someone else. Rick chose to wake Ascen up since Ascen actually slept the lightest of them all, as in Ascen could wake up just by hearing rustling in the grass. It’s not really anything to do with skill, it’s just his paranoia has rooted into his subconsciousness that every time he wakes up Ascen always seem ready to defend himself. Only to see Rick’s face did Ascen relax his shoulders and laid his head back down. “Is it my shift tonight?” Ascen whispered to Rick as the man smiled at the kid. “Yeah. I would’ve stayed up longer, but I’m no longer in the condition to keep watch effectively.” Ascen, even though he’s technically still half asleep, could relate that much considering of all the walking they did. Rick had extended his hand towards Ascen so that he could help the kid up on his feet. However, when Ascen reached out to take Rick’s hand, all of the sudden he grabbed nothing but air. Ascen was confused as he was certain that Ascen had grabbed the hand, but soon like a curtain dropping to reveal what was behind the curtain Ascen came under the realization. It wasn’t that Ascen was hallucinating nor was it a mistake. Rick simply wasn’t there, and as Ascen blinked a couple of times he could both see Rick being carried off in the air and hear the yelling coming from Rick. There was something else too. Something that had a pair of wings that at first Ascen mistook them to be wings like Ashtok’s, however there was almost half a dozen of them carrying Rick further from the ground. “Zith!” Ashtok exclaimed as he completely threw the blanket off and with a burning hatred drew out his sword before taking flight after the Zith. The winged creatures looked behind them and saw Ashtok getting closer at a faster pace than they are. Without a second thought the Zith simply dropped Rick so that they could disperse and hoped to avoid Ashtok’s steel. Ashtok took this opportunity to quickly swoop down after Rick as it was a fifty foot plummet to the ground. Using the free hand, Ashtok barely catches Rick by grabbing onto the ankle and used his wings to try and slow the descent as much as possible. However the ground was too close and so Ashtok couldn’t slow the descent fast enough before both Rick and Ashtok crashed into the ground. It wasn’t a death dealing fall though, for both of them are fine as Ashtok managed to minimize enough to where it wouldn’t be fatal. At least, that’s what it seemed at first. Rick’s left arm was officially broken at the wrist where he landed on as fresh blood flowed from jagged bone that now pierced through his flesh. Leaving his hand completely limp and broken backwards. Rick yelled in even more agony than before and Ashtok luckily only got some bruises from the fall. Both Ascen and Sabrina came running to Rick’s aid with Sabrina throwing one of her knives at the Zith as one of them attempted to swoop down at the two. Seeing the knife however, it redirected itself in order to avoid the thrown knife. Sabrina slid on her knees to get over to Rick’s side and gasps upon seeing the wrist. Ascen however looked at the wrist from what little he could see and immediately the guilt comes crawling up on his heart. At the same time, Ascen was facing a mild case of shock as well. “Where did they come from?!” Rick exclaimed while trying to stifle anymore screaming, but is failing to contain it. Ashtok didn’t answer as he took flight once more and engages in a deadly aerial combat with an incoming Zith. Meanwhile Sabrina, who is in tears right now, is fumbling for bandages and tries to wrap Rick’s wrist as much as possible. Before Ascen knew it, all he felt was claws suddenly latching onto his shoulders as the talons dug into the boy’s flesh for extra grip. He was taken off from the familiar ground and Ascen could feel the wind rushing past his head. Wincing and grumbling in pain from the talons digging into his shoulder. Ascen reached up and grabbed whatever it was carrying him off. It felt like Ascen grabbed onto a pair of ankles, but Ascen didn’t care as he used his bladed gauntlet in a backhanded fashion. Where those cold iron blades lining along the gauntlets rips and tears through the Zith’s flesh. Ascen heard a feminine voice scream in pain as he could see the ground was coming closer almost like they were gliding. Eventually both Ascen and the wounded Zith crashed onto the mound of grass as both of them rolled a couple of times before lying still for a moment. The collision and the tumbling had practically knocked the air out of Ascen’s lungs as he took the moment to breathe. Ascen had started to get up on his feet, but before he even set his knee down Ascen was tackled in a rough manner by the Zith and forced him back down. Now that Ascen could see the creature’s face, he was honestly surprised to see how the Zith’s face was surprisingly human and possessing the body type of a female as well. However there was a dark slash on the Zith’s abdomen where Ascen assumed had slashed at. The female Zith raised her hand that had balled up into a fist before driving it back down as an attempt to strike Ascen’s face. However Ascen still had enough room to tilt his head over to the side and makes the fist barely graze the thickness of his neck. Ascen attempted to knee the Zith on the back from what little leverage he had, and she did move forward a bit only to raise her fist again. Ascen would have loved to move his hands, unfortunately this one seemed to have learned or just by pure luck has both of her knees placed on Ascen’s wrists and preventing him from moving his hands. Ascen instead kneed her back once again to force her fist to strike the ground just above his head. Meanwhile he was producing a small amount of Res in a gas form and directs it over to the Zith’s face. Where Ascen simply blew on her face just before a flare of fire erupts in front of her face. The Zith woman cried out as her vision was suddenly blinded by a sheet of white and caused her to crawl off Ascen while blinking and wiping away at her eyes. Her night vision was ruined temporarily from the sudden flare of light, and gives Ascen the opportunity to quickly stand up on his feet. Ascen also took the opportunity to get a look over at Rick’s direction and see that Rick is shooting off his crossbow with only hand and using the left arm to hold up the crossbow. While Sabrina was left with being his eyes and calling out the targets coming for them. Ashtok had already dealt the fatal blow with one of the Zith, and is currently working on another one. The third Zith was dodging and trying to get close to Rick. Unfortunately with Sabrina there guarding Rick with her knives the Zith is having to pick and choose what to do. The final Zith that’s remaining is right where Ascen is located at, which is approximately forty feet from the group. Ascen could feel the burning sensations on his shoulders as the warm rivers of life seep from the wounds. “Sorry love, but I’m afraid i don’t have time for you. Go back wherever you came from. I have no intention on hurting you.” Ascen told the Zith woman as he was actually trying to be diplomatic and persuasive. Sure he’s heard rumors of how evil and corrupted these Zith are. However if there was even a tiny chance of avoiding a fight with a Zith by talking then it could open a different perspective for Ascen. Unfortunately that didn’t seem to get through to her as the vision has returned to her eyes and looked over at Ascen’s direction. Even though Ascen couldn’t see the eyes very clearly, he could feel the burning hatred being directed towards him. “Relax. If i wanted to burn your face off i would’ve done it instead of blinding you.” Ascen tried to reason with her, but it proved to have no fruit being ripe from the tree that Ascen was hoping for. Instead the Zith charged up at Ascen while using her wings to give her an extra boost of speed by flapping them once which allowed her to briefly glide over the ground and attempted lash out her claws at Ascen’s face. Ascen of course tried to avoid it as much as possible by jumping back and trying to get out of the creature’s reach. However it wasn’t enough as the clawed hand grazed the side of Ascen’s cheek. Leaving two nice red lines on his right cheek of the face. Ascen retaliated by using her own momentum against the Zith by thrusting his left fist forward at her abdomen area and due to her recklessness the Zith had practically ran into the fist. No wounds were visible from that blow, but it still appears to hurt the woman as she gasped and halted her assault while placing a hand over the abdomen. It didn’t help her case that she was bleeding from the wound Ascen had dealt earlier. Ascen took the moment to examine the Zith’s body, for it was first time seeing a Zith in person he doesn’t really know where her weaknesses are. One thing is for certain from common sense and seeing her source of speed and flight. Taking out her wings would render her flightless, however he doesn’t wish to go that far if he can help it. Ascen took the moment to produce a small amount of Res in a gas like form that coats around his hands for a moment before forming a spike shaped on the palm of his hands. The Zith woman assumed her assault by moving in a zigzag pattern as an attempt to deceive his eyes before attempting to claw at his left hand that was extended from his body. Ascen steps forward with his right foot while vigorously throwing his right fist towards the Zith’s face. As a reaction on the Zith’s part, she quickly raised her free hand which was the right hand in order to block the fist from connecting her face. However to her surprise Ascen firmly grabs the right elbow of the Zith with his left hand and surprises the Zith even more so by pushing down on the Zith’s right wrist that she had used to block with. It was like the world had flipped around to the woman’s eyes as she finds herself landing hard on the ground due to her own momentum and not Ascen’s strength. In essence Ascen had just used her own momentum and strength to flip her body and put her on the ground. From there Ascen proceeds to pin her arm with a firm grip at an right angle to her body. The Zith attempted to get back up and throw Ascen off. However with her right arm positioned as it is she can’t move that well without risking on breaking her own arm. The Zith found this out the hard way as Ascen kept his grip firm and the Zith felt her shoulder was hurting from struggling. “Stop struggling would ya. Can’t you see i’m trying not to harm you?” Ascen brought up the question that for once Ascen had gotten a different reaction this time. Ascen couldn’t see the woman’s face, but he didn’t read that same level of hostility towards him as before. Instead all he heard was her panting and Ascen finally noticed that she was sweating in a mild and healthy sense. The only reason why he noticed is because Ascen had to secure his grip more for fear of the sweat making it where she could escape. The spikes of Res that had formed on the palms of Ascen’s hands were dropped as he only had those up in case he needed an extra edge to pin her down. It was then that Ascen heard Rick’s voice once again as it was cried out only to stop short. The voice drew Ascen’s eyes over to Rick and Sabrina only to watch with shock on his face. It wasn’t just Rick and Sabrina anymore. Instead Ascen could barely make out the appearance of an arrow that had pierced Rick’s back before another arrow shooting from the top of the hill had pierced in the spine. Rick had collapsed to the ground in a slow fashion as if he was questioning on whether he truly got struck down or not. Even the Zith looked over to where Ascen was staring at as she noticed his grip had loosened. Honestly she wasn’t sure what happened for in her eyes one of his allies just went down. The Zith woman seemed to be quite curious about Ascen, though he doesn’t seem to notice her interest for the moment as he was in shock right now. It’s not like he forgot about the Zith woman, Ascen just thought that Rick was more important right now as he dashed off after the two while releasing the woman. The Zith sat up while rubbing her wrist and elbow where Ascen had firmly pinned her down with. Actually she was more of confused for she was certain that he was going to kill her as most has attempted to do. So her eyes followed Ascen and watched him get ever closer to the other two humans from what she can tell. However something else had caught her attention. Up on the top of the hill that Ascen was running towards were two other humanoid figures garbed in fur cloaks and equipped with two bows. They were launching two extra arrows at Ascen and the group. Luckily they missed, however the Zith woman didn’t like that those men were firing their arrows at her new toy. Swallowing her pain as it turned out to not be as bad as she thought it was. The woman takes flight once again and flies past Ascen. The bowmen were now focused on the incoming Zith as they hurriedly loaded up their arrows, but one of the two accidentally dropped the arrow and simply reached behind to grab another arrow from his quiver. Before the other one could fully draw the string, the winged woman swatted the bow away before tackling the man. Shredding and tearing away at the man’s face with her deadly claws as he screamed in agony and terror. The only remaining bowman was just starting to notch his arrow before a large ball of fire struck the man’s body. The licking fires burned and consumed the fabrics and fur on the man’s body as he too is screaming in agony while desperately trying to put out the fire. However the ball of fire had consumed the entire body and thus the entire body is ignited. The man even attempted to roll around on the ground as a way of putting out the fire, but it wasn’t enough as the fire was still consuming the man’s flesh. Ascen could draw the fire away, however Ascen was also engulfed with rage as his mouth tasted like he just ate a whole chunk of iron that makes him gag just from the taste of it. Ascen had put a lot of Res to forming a singular large sized ball that was the size of a large beach ball. It may not seem that much to be completely exhausted over, but Ascen has also used his magic before and minorly used it a couple times. With only two bells of rest there wasn’t enough time to fully recover from it.

[Ascen]

Ascen continued to gag and cough with the metallic taste in his mouth that never seems to weaken. Instead the taste seems like it’s getting harsher as Ascen is covering his mouth with his hand before falling down on his knees. “You idiot! Don’t go killing yourself too!” Ashtok shouted over at Ascen’s direction before dealing the final slash at the third Zith. The only Zith that was remaining was the woman who was still clawing away at the bowman’s now unrecognizable face after being punctured and smashed by her strength. Ashtok would fly down to the group’s location only to bare his teeth upon seeing Rick’s body being hugged tightly by Sabrina. Tears can be seen streaming down Sabrina’s cheeks as she cried out in grief. Rick had been pierced into the left shoulder blade while the second arrow had pierced into Rick’s middle spine. Unfortunately the second arrow had pierced through the other side and by the time Ascen had even reached over to Rick’s side the spark of life had already slipped away like fine sand falling from between Ascen’s fingers. Sabrina, not wanting to believe that he’s gone, tries desperately to stop the bleeding and not seeming to care nor notice of how stiff Rick has gotten. Sabrina didn’t even seem to be paying her surroundings for she didn’t even notice Ascen coming up until he knelt beside them. Seeing that reality had struck his heart and emotions where Ascen least expected it to be. His body was trembling with a fiery rage as Res was being produced in large quantity and it was being molded into a large ball of liquid. Ascen desired revenge and his reckless use in his magic seemed to be his only salvation before he launched the liquid ball over to the only standing bowman. Igniting the beach ball size into a fiery orb that engulfed the man into a raging fire and screaming of pain followed with it. However as the result to Ascen’s careless action he was both exhausted and has a very bad metallic taste in his mouth. Once Ashtok had landed and seen what has become of Rick. The Akalak was about to take off in flight as he was going to kill the last of the Zith until Ascen’s free hand lunged forward and grabbed Ashtok by the wrist. “Don’t... “ Ascen stated weakly as Ashtok’s bewildered expression soon transformed into the expression of anger. “You’ve gotta be jesting. Are you saying we should really let those monsters go?!” Ashtok exclaimed with anger clearly written on both his tone and on his face as well. However Ascen was simply too exhausted to really care to show his reaction to it. “Yes…” Sure enough, the Zith woman had taken flight after finally noticing the burning man who was rolling towards her direction. She took a look around to see her brethren slain on the grass fields, and instinct told her to simply get away from here as possible. That’s exactly what she did too. The Zith flew off into the night’s sky at a fast pace trying to get as far as possible from here. More specifically, she was trying to get far away from Ashtok. Cursing and swearing oaths of hatred at the fleeing Zith. Ashtok shook off Ascen’s surprisingly strong grip before seeing that chasing the Zith wouldn’t be a wise course of action right now. Still Ashtok backhanded Ascen across the face for disobedience. “Why?! Why did you stop me?! She could be coming back with a lot more Zith now!” Ascen was stunned both emotionally from Rick’s death and now from the mere fact that Ashtok actually struck him. Additionally with Ascen in this condition it doesn’t take much to stun him. Finally Ascen overcame the stunning effects and merely rubbed the mark left by Ashtok’s hand. “We don’t have time to sit idly here. Instead of chasing flies we need to at least move a good mile or so from here.” Ascen tells them as Ashtok bared his teeth before heaving a sigh from between his teeth. Then Ascen followed up on his words. “Besides, she’s wounded as well. If anything she’ll bleed to death or has to take some time to patch herself up. So we at least have a good bell or two before we have to worry about her return. Time that’ll be well spent on moving as soon as possible.” However that was easier to be said than done for in Sabrina’s current emotional state broken. It’ll take some time before Sabrina can even begin to swallow her mourn for another time. That much Ascen knows already just by looking at Sabrina who was hugging onto Rick’s body as tightly as she can with a grip that’s as tight as death’s chilling fingers. Blood was soaking into Sabrina’s clothes while both the body and Rick’s blood were soon turning cold. “To be honest, i don’t know if we’re going to be moving anytime soon. But we can try to hide as we’re burying the body.” Ashtok responded as he took this short six chimes of silence to calm down enough to think rationally. “Don’t the Zith suppose to have vision that sees in the dark almost as if it’s daylight though?” Ascen proposed a question that he only assumed based off on stories and from what he heard that was in Ashtok’s own words. “There are some places to hide even from them. It’s just like us hiding from those men earlier. We just need to be clever about it. I’ll go scout the area for a bit and you stay here with Sabrina.” Ashtok ordered both of them before he takes flight to the sky and proceeded to fly around the area. Mostly scouting on the outside of their area for he’s certain that nobody is near them. Ascen looked like a bit of a burden was lifted from his shoulders a bit as he was breathing a bit heavy while having that metallic taste still overwhelming his mouth. He even took a sip of his water hoping that it would lessen the taste, and thankfully the purifying liquid seems to have some effect. Except that the liquid took the horrible taste down his throat and made him cough even more. Roughly thirteen chimes had passed as both Ascen and Sabrina are practically resting while refusing to leave Rick’s body unattended. Ascen can’t help but feel like he’s sick to the stomach from Overgiving to his magic. The taste in his mouth was one thing, and thankfully it is weakening by the chime. However his exhaustion on his body from the result of Djed is making him feel nauseous and lightheaded. Luckily Ascen is making attempts to counter that feeling by taking small sips of water and taking a small piece of the loaf to consume for substance. Another ten chimes had passed before Sabrina had finally stopped crying and was showing slight movement by shifting in her spot. Ascen jumped onto his feet after seeing Sabrina suddenly collapse onto the grass bed next to Rick’s body. He was afraid that something bad had happened to Sabrina and immediately came to her side. Ascen proceeds to quickly analyze her body for any wounds, but he finds nothing of the sort on her. Yet her eyes were open and her lips were slightly parted. Ascen, being confused and unsure of what to do, confirmed that she was still breathing though it was shallow. Sabrina was going into a shock that’s put her into a comatose state, and Ascen was panicking for he has no knowledge in the medical field whatsoever other than sleep and eating healthy. This was well out of his league though, or so he thought. The wind had shifted a bit as it blew across the group while blades of grass tickling Ascen’s ankles. Along with the wind came the horrible stench of burnt flesh that caught Ascen by surprise only to quickly realize the smell was coming from that charred body who Ascen set on fire. There was a small circle of blackened ash which is being carried by the wind. Covering his nose with his cloak, Ascen looked over at the burnt grass only to see someone wearing furs and leathers standing next to the burnt body. Ascen’s fear quickly began to wrap around his mind for he thought that they had gotten rid of all of those men. Yet there was clearly a human figure wearing a different attire than the other men standing approximately seven meters away from Ascen. Then speaking in a more questionable tone the figure said. “I’ve met several magic users such as yourself who has met their grave too soon of their already short life span. Especially users of magic that you use in particular.” Ascen couldn’t tell if this guy was questioning Ascen’s ability or mocking him. However he stands up on his feet with his hands up and formed like he’s holding onto a cup while lightly bouncing from one foot to the other. Ascen isn’t doing anything offensive, but more on the lines that Ascen is willing to defend his group to the best of his ability. The only problem is that Ascen’s vision was getting blurry due to his exhaustion and the only reason why he didn’t notice his vision before was because he’s been starring in the dark. The man simply waved his hand in dismissal before speaking once again. “Lower your fists boy. You’re not even worth fighting against right now in your condition. Besides that’s not what I came to you about.” Ascen had the look of determination in his eyes, but for some reason there was a lump in Ascen’s throat as fear continued to grow. Ascen can’t place it, but there was something like a heavy burden that had fallen on his shoulders. A particular burden that warns Ascen of immediate danger and it was enough to make his stance lose its effect by becoming still and his fists were lowering. It was a feeling that Ascen gotten from looking at this guy, and it was feeling that this guy could kill Ascen even if Ascen was at full condition. “Now that i have your full attention, there was something i wished to confirm with you.” The man spoke before he proceeds to walk closer to Ascen. Of course the man was too far away due to the darkness so Ascen couldn’t see the man’s features clearly until he came closer. This man had fiery red hair that Ascen almost mistook him to be an inarta, only to notice how pale his skin is and the red markings on his face as well. Leaving Ascen to be uncertain of what this man is other than being human. “Back there when you ambushed that wagon to retrieve… whatever that sword is. I couldn’t help but notice your anger was boiling up after the horses were being harmed. Furthermore, you certainly took measures on not harming the people other than distracting your targets. May I ask why on these two matters you reacted as such?” Ascen took a moment to collect his thoughts while suddenly feeling a weird sense of calm like an ocean washing down the grinding sands of fear into its depths. “I… I love animals of most kind… and in a sense I guess you can say that i view them as family. A family that i want to protect as much as possible, but I am also aware that sometimes we have to make calls when it is necessary. Such as when i set the wagon on fire… I only set the cloth on fire to provide an opening for Ashtok to get in the wagon, secure the weapon, and fly out while making sure that he doesn’t get shot at by the archers… I didn’t want to hurt either of the people nor the horses because it didn’t seem necessary at the time. In truth all of us would have left them alone if they hadn’t turn around to come after us. I was against shooting at the horses, but it proved to be the most effective way to stop them…” The man seemed to be interested in Ascen’s explanation, though Ascen still can’t really tell for certain on what the man’s expression is due to the darkness. “I see, so that’s your story behind it. I guess you really did held up to your prayer after all to the best of your ability.” Then the male pointed with his index finger over at the crest of another hill where Ascen had fought that Zith woman at. “You are aware of what those creatures are yes? They won’t bat an eye to tear your face apart, but you somehow managed to convince her to help you. How?” Ascen was about to respond to the question before he came upon the realization. How did this man know so much of what has happened? Ascen doesn’t recall on seeing this man over at the caravan ambush, yet he somehow asks the motives like he was there with Ascen. More so how did this man knew exactly where Ascen had landed and fought against the Zith? “Why do you want to know all of this?” Ascen popped the question as he was feeling a bit worried that this guy is more than meets the eye. “Curiosity.” With a simple word that was all the man would answer. So Ascen sighed before responding to the original question. “I’ve only heard stories about the Zith so i’ve never seen them in person. It was an experiment more or less to see if the Zith are something more than the mindless beasts i’ve been hearing them to be.” Ascen can see the shadowy shift of the man’s expression as if he raised a brow on that explanation. “And what would you have done if that creature attacked you instead of tearing that man apart?” As much pondering as Ascen would love to do on that note, he came only one conclusion that wasn’t death. “I had my Res formed in spikes on my palms, so i could have blown her off by unleashing a short burst of strong winds. Otherwise i don’t really see much hope for myself of surviving. But least to say that didn’t happen.” The man would nod his head slightly as silence fell between them. Only to have the silence broken by the man speaking once more. “One last question, what do you think of Ivak? You know, the god of fire.” This question was off topic than the other questions and it was one that Ascen felt like it was a sensitive question. Still, Ascen answers to the best of his ability, but he can’t help other than to feel like his life is on the line if he answers wrongly. “Ivak? Well… I guess you could say that I’m curious…” Ascen’s answer seems to have baffled the man to where he had to contain himself from laughing. Ascen didn’t see any humor behind his own voice, so needless to say Ascen was a bit confused. “Curious? What could you possibly be curious about the god who almost destroyed the world?” Ascen took a moment to gather his thoughts as he already knew the answer to that. It was just a matter of organizing his words carefully before speaking with confidence. “I’m curious on what was the reason behind Ivak’s course of action. If he really was an outraged god who nearly destroyed the world then surely there was a good reason of how it led up to that. Something that was like a trigger which caused Ivak to become an instrument of destruction. My curiosity is more or less trying to find the reason behind it.” Ascen answered quite thoroughly as he scratched his chin while feeling uncertain of what this man is going to do now. “Of course i’ve been labeled as a heretic for thinking of that, so it’s been awhile since i’ve tried searching for answers on that note.” Either this man was at a lost for words or simply trying to comprehend Ascen’s words. Then out of the blue the man fast walked towards Ascen before clapping both hands on Ascen’s shoulders. Ascen’s expression shifted into confusion and a bit fearful that this man was going crush him. “You are perhaps one of the few humans who has said something similar. Other than the scholars who simply wanted to know what the past kingdoms were like. Whatever you do, keep searching for your answers. Who knows, Ivak himself just might spend enough time to answer your questions.” Ascen was unsure of what this man had meant by the last part. Ivak himself? What did this man meant by that? Ascen assumed that Ivak was somewhat gone or sealed away for no one has seen him for centuries. At least that’s what he heard at any rate from the locals. One thing is for certain, there was an elaborate flame tattoo placed on Ascen’s left shoulder that has gone unnoticed by Ascen. In truth this was actually the first time that Ascen has met anyone who is encouraging Ascen to continue searching for answers regarding about Ivak. Normally he’s either met with hostility from other religious groups or is met with discomfort about the topic altogether. “I meant to ask you… since i’ve been answering your questions, just who are you anyway?” Ascen asked as he wanted to know who this man was at least. To be frank Ascen’s curiosity is causing the fear to die down. He’s also strangely getting an odd feeling of joy erupting from his beating heart that Ascen is not sure what caused the feeling to come up. The man removed his hands away from Ascen’s shoulders before responding. “Fair enough, but let’s just say that I am now one of your contacts. Got too many people coming after me, and i rather not spread my name around here for who knows what is listening to us.” The man simply said as he took a few steps back to put a distance between himself and Ascen. “Just be sure to keep an eye out for other people who might share your views. You’ve certainly sparked my interest, and I suppose you can say that I am curious to see how your story is going to be told as well.” “As well?” Ascen asked as he picked up on that hint, but he wasn’t going to just assume things for the fact that this man seems to be a wanted man of some sort. Would being in contact with this man lead to trouble later down the road? Ascen is not sure for he is no seer and the future is always changing according to Ascen’s mind perspective about the future. “That’ll be a story for another time, until then I bid you farewell child.” Without further words being said despite Ascen wanting to know more for the man practically popped the twenty question game and vaguely answered Ascen’s question. The man proceeded to walk away from the group before disappearing in the darkness that Ascen can’t see past.

[Gossamer]

Moderator Intervention

The Issue(s):

Sunberth is closed.
Gnosis threads belong in the HD not in forums.
Only STs if DS rank or higher can run gods in the regular forum.

PM me when you have the above issues corrected and this intervention will be removed.