Solo A True Leader Needs Trust

[Sayana]

Winter 22, 515 AV

Her fresh wounds stung as she left the building. That cursed building with the broken chair. The blood had clotted somewhat on her shoulder but she still winced if she moved her arms too much. And that certainly didn’t help the stitches, those damned stitches upon her chest. With every breath, except the most carefully controlled ones, she felt the fire burn where the needle and threaded in and out and in and out…

She shook her head trying to rid herself of the memory scarred into her mind. She had the simplest of medical supplies on hand within the pockets of her vest, and for that she was fortunate. As soon as she felt far enough from that wretched place she found a low wall to sit upon to tend to her injuries. The one on her shoulder was probably the worst and she spread generous portions of Krolar paste into it, gritting her teeth all the while. The Seamstress and her needles… Sayana was clearly bitter about the whole incident but at least she still had her life. Now she had to somehow find a way to lead these zith. While she had spoken nobly in the moment, it seemed like an impossible task now. Slowly she began applying the paste to her ‘stitches’ upon her chest. The triple cross. It was her mark and it was almost fitting that she had received it, no matter how much pain it had caused. It would heal, surely it would heal and she’d be able to unthread the string.

Carefully Sayana withdrew a couple bandages from the vest and tied them around her shoulder wound and her wrists. It was awkward to properly bandage her chest without the help of another, so she resigned to leaving it to the open air after dabbing at it with the paste. She still felt like shyke and it hurt to breathe but she was alive.

However, when she set off to return to the Underground to find Nephti, there was this gnawing feeling at the back of her mind. Unite the zith, lead, banish the fear… How in Hai was she supposed to get the zith to trust her after all this. It wasn’t like she could just walk up to one and say, ‘Hi, I killed one of your buddies. You can totally trust me to lead, right?’

As she mused it over she found herself increasingly distracted and what was normally a simple endeavor of finding an entrance to the Underground was not happening with her usual ease. Plus there was the pain and that creeping feeling that something was watching her… The Eypharian turned abruptly and there was a flutter of wings as a shadow disappeared from view. She turned again, this time a jolt of pain shot through her shoulder but she managed to catch sight of the culprit.

“Haha! Took you long enough Redhair. Are you new to the city too?” A young zith flapped into view and did a flip in the air before landing on the ground in front of Sayana. She had dazzling long black hair but a smug grin on her face, and only appeared the age of a 7 or 8 year old human child. Of course, a zith would probably only be half that age. “Whatcha staring at? Never seen a flip before? You should meet the others. Bet you can’t outfly me!”

The child zith gave a beckoning wave of her hands then took off into the air, leaving Sayana still rather dumbfounded. The young creature had no qualms with speaking to her and even offered to introduce Sayana to her family. Neither the blood, nor looks, nor mark seemed to phase the little girl and at the current rate, the girl creature would certainly beat her.

Sayana inhaled deeply feeling a prickle of pain upon her chest, then set out after the girl. She certainly couldn’t fly, but she could run. She tried to keep her arms as still as possible to minimize further pain to her shoulder and with her legs she ran and ran and ran. Air whipped against her face and her long red hair billowed after her. It felt freeing to dash through the twisting streets suddenly not so afraid of the beasts that hunted her. They had done their worst, had they not? And now she needed to make amends.

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Sayana]

Even as Sayana ran full heartedly through the streets, the little zith made teasing remarks. “Hey Redhead, can’t you fly? Come soar with me!” Sayana smiled at the pure innocence of the girl. It was something she had never quite encountered with a zith. Suddenly, a gaping hole opened up in the middle of the street. At the speed she was going there was no chance of stopping in time. All she could do was… As she reached the edge of the pit, Sayana sped up and made a giant leap trying to reach the other side.

However, it was not her luck to land gracefully on her feet on the cobblestone. Instead she began to fall into the pit and only just managed to grip the edge of the road with her fingers, dangling perilously with the deep abyss below. “Goddess!” She cried as her shoulder was wrenched with the impact and she felt the fire alight upon her injury. With all her strength she began pulling herself up with her arms, not daring to look down. With one last agonizing heave, she managed to swing herself up onto the street’s surface. For a moment she looked down into the pit and it was like an immense black abyss. Then the hole closed up as suddenly as it appeared and all that was left was a slight rotting smell.

“That was a good try, but next time you should spread your wings when you try to fly.” The little zith girl was back, presumably having gotten bored of being so far in the lead. Sayana slowly got to her feet, a little shaken from the illusion, or lack of illusion. Question the illusions, question reality. Not everything was as it appeared.

“So what’s your name little one?” Sayana asked, trying to buy a little time and recover from the incident. “Fury! I call myself Fury, like the fury of the winds.” She sounded rather proud of the name and the Eypharian couldn’t help but smile. “My name is Sayana,” she responded and held out a friendly hand to the zith child. Fury looked at it curiously but didn’t take it. “Sayana is a funny name. So why don’t you fly?” She asked, still sounding rather puzzled about the fact. “I’ve never been able to fly,” Sayana answered simply. “Oh… Well that sucks.” Came the zith girl’s reply. “You want to meet my family?” “That would be wonderful.”

Despite being rather anxious about the idea of meeting the zith family who had been hunting her down, Sayana was determined to see her promises out. Determined, and also somewhat afraid of what the Seamstress would try if she did not meet the claims she had made. One moment she had been on the run, and rather successfully, but the next she had been bound and tortured with a feeling of helplessness. Fury led the way through the streets at a much slower pace this time and babbled about this and that.

“Have you ever seen those lights? I once tried to catch one but it flew away just as I put my claws around it. How many of the buildings do you think are real? They wiggle around like worms when I fly really high. Did you know that I once hung upside down for a whole bell before Miss Vile told me to get down?”

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Sayana]

As they neared the Wolf’s Cave, Sayana started getting antsy. She was in no condition to do a full blown fight if it came down to it and while her wounds were not in nearly such bad condition as earlier, a good tussle would change that. A swoop of black suddenly came down.

“Hey Furry! Look what Furry Fury brought with her. We were looking all over for you.” The young zith girl was clearly not impressed by the name and stuck out her tongue at the culprit, an adolescent male. “Look, I made a new friend. Her name is Saya. She’s new too.” Fury chimed in brightly. But within ticks, more zith appeared outside the Cave and an older woman yanked Fury’s arm to pull her away from Sayana.

There were mutterings as they surveyed Sayana like an outsider. Was she just from another colony or was she tainted from what they had fled from? Sayana thought they were just distrustful that she had come due to her behaviour towards them in the past. The whispers grew and at last Sayana had had enough.

“Look, I know I haven’t been that friendly to your kind in the past, but I’m not here to start a war. I’m here to defend against the evil that strikes Alvadas. You came here for safety. You fled the mountains and your homes because something was stirring. Because they are coming. I can help protect you and I can teach you to better defend yourselves as well.” Sayana paused to scan the zith who watched and listened to her. She needed to persuade, to instil hope and trust.

Then a bitter voice spoke up and she recognized the zith as Rend. “She--” But then he hesitated as if uncertain of his words. “Yes, I killed. I killed Mercy.” She admitted knowing that eventually word would get out. If Rend didn’t say it, someone else would surely recognize her.

More mutterings began, some of them hostile but many were just out of confusion. There were gestures pointing at her but there were too many of them to really make out the meaning. “Prove it,” a zith called out. Now that was one of the last things she was expecting. “Prove that I killed Mercy?” Sayana questioned but in the next instant her mid hand reached for her dagger making three quick slices in the shape of her mark. To emphasize her demonstration, she used the dagger to point to the scar on Rend’s cheek, the same symbol. “Mercy was lost to you last Fall, fairly early too. Her body was never found either.” “But you don’t have six…” “I have six arms! And my mark symbolizes it.” Sayana shot back angrily.

But she was getting off track. Very much off track and already mutterings began again. Why was she pretending to be something she wasn’t? Did she really kill Mercy? Why has she come now? “But I’ve come to help. I’ve come to redeem myself. I can teach and guide you, and I can take away your fear.”

She gave them time to consider the words and used the time to start drawing upon the magic within her, the djed. Slowly she let it build and consume her thoughts. Thoughts of trust and hope. All the while she scanned her ‘audience’ for someone susceptible but also with authority. Lacing her thoughts with the djed she pushed outwards slowly and moving to wrap around the older woman zith to encompass her with warm thoughts and feelings.

“The time is dire, and I think you would all rather that I was on your side than against you.” Sayana spoke and she locked eyes with the woman as she unleashed the subtle strength of her magic. There was an uncomfortable shuffle from the female zith but it seemed as though the net result caused her to relax somewhat and loosen her protective grip on the child Fury.

The sudden tiredness was unexpected and Sayana slumped slightly before returning to assertive stance. There was a tang of iron taste and a yearning… such a yearning to do more. “Her words are poison! Poison I tell you!” Rend shouted out angrily. “Don’t you even want to know what I have to offer?” Sayana replied to her audience. Questioning… curiosity… She tried to supply more emotions and coat them in djed but already her concentration was failing and only resulted in a faint wisp of magic that had next to no effect.

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Sayana]

“Let her speak. If she is enough of an asset, she may be worth the risk. Whatever she is.” The older female zith spoke at last and Sayana’s heart swelled with hope. Maybe the impossible could still be achieved. There was authority in the female zith’s voice and Sayana was glad of her decision to target her.

Gathering her thoughts, Sayana answered with a new tone of confidence. “Firstly, I can fight and protect. Secondly, I can teach. I am sure all of you have strength in combat. I haven’t met a zith who did not. And if we can harness that true potential then there is so much we can do. Lastly, I am determined to find out the source of this evil and its weaknesses.” Even though she wasn’t certain on her last point, she would do all she could to figure out what was wrong with the city.

“You’re right, Mercy is gone. She used to tend to our wounds. Can you do so?” The older female, known to most of the zith as Miss Vile, brought up a very good point and Sayana hesitated a moment before responding. “I can do my best to heal your wounds. I know of many herbs but not all, and I have bandaged my own wounds that were penance for my earlier crimes.” She gestured to her shoulder and the bandages upon her wrists. Most creatures wanted to see some sort of punishment before they could forgive and as painful as her injuries may be, they still served a purpose if she was to lead these creatures.

Miss Vile nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer about medicine. However, someone else spoke up near the back. “You are strong but only because you have sharp metal. Do you even fight the zith way? I am prepared to trust you, even follow you, but only if you can outmatch Malice in a fight. With no shiny knives.” There were mutters of agreement as if the display of combat would somehow prove something. Sayana’s eyes flitted quickly about the various gathered zith trying to determine who this ‘Malice’ might be. Obviously someone quite strong and perhaps even an existing leader within the colony.

At first, no one moved to accept the duel. But after many words to egg him on, a male zith finally stepped forwards. He was tall with long hair and a muscular build. He looked older than Sayana but still in his youth. Yet there was a maturity about him and a seriousness to his face.

“It will not be to the death,” Malice spoke quietly yet in a commanding way so each zith would listen. “It is a test, not a blood feud. We’ve already had enough of those.”

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Sayana]

Sayana felt heat rise to her cheeks for a moment at the zith’s comment, but she tried not to dwell on it as she readied herself. In a demonstration of good faith, she held up her single throwing dagger and tossed it clearly to the ground off to the side. This ‘Malice’ appeared to be well-built and wore only a simple pair of trousers. A circle of zith began to form around them and only then did Sayana realize how outmatched she probably was. She was against a zith, a winged zith with claws. She was already injured. And she was without her dominant weapon. She’d have to try trickery, except she absolutely couldn’t since it would ruin the whole point of gaining the trust of the zith.

However, she didn’t have time to make a change in plans since suddenly a zith claw was slashing towards her face. Instinctively, she leapt backwards. She managed to dodge the strike by a couple of inches and she swiftly readied her hands for punching. Malice jumped into the air and began circling from above. There were jeers for her to fly too, but she assumed the zith were simply poking fun at her ‘inabilities’. She couldn’t stay still and be an easy target, so she began moving about the circle in seemingly random jerky movements. Always changing direction and never repeating a move, it was like a complex dance until Malice finally dove down and aimed a blow to her side.

It was her injured side and when she attempted to block it by raising her arm, pain shot through her shoulder as her arm was jarred aside. Even with the onslaught of pain she swung a fist to the beast’s face. It landed hard and for a moment he stumbled backwards. But his recovery was quick and with two swift steps he closed the gap between them and kicked her straight in the stomach. The air whooshed out of her and she doubled over as she took a turn to stumble backwards.

There was a momentary pause and then he came again in full force. His body slammed against hers, and even though she tried to maintain her balance, he somehow tripped up her legs sending them both falling to the ground. She landed hard, and painfully, but managed to get enough twist to get them rolling. Soon she was the one on top and she used the moment to hook a punch to his jaw. He gave a grunt at the impact but in less than a tick he was on top once more with his claws wrapped around her high wrists, pinning her to the ground.

“Shall we continue?” Malice spoke, loud enough for their audience to hear. “Or do you want me to start taking advantage of your shoulder and your chest? Or even your wrists?” He began to squeeze her wrists, lighting pain where the razor cords had cut into her skin hardly a day ago.

“You’ve won. You’ve beaten me.” Sayana spoke hastily then added, “There’s just one last thing I need to--” She reached up with a free mid hand and slipped it behind his head to pull him down towards her. At the same time she lifted her head and her lips met his in a kiss. She deepened the kiss further when there was no obvious repulsion and while there was a moment’s confusion from the male zith, he soon returned it with intensity.

Malice broke off the kiss first and looked around at the zith who formed the circle. With a crooked smile he said, “Looks like we’ll have to finish the duel in the bedroom.”

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Sayana]

The moment they were behind closed doors Malice began speaking in a dark cold voice. “I don’t know what you’re trying to play by barging in here and ruining our peace. If you are who you say you are, then you hunt us and act like you’re some sort of leader for us to follow. Do you even know what’s out there? Why we’ve taken refuge in Alvadas and why our numbers are so small?” He spat with obvious dislike.

“Mercy wasn’t the only one we lost this Fall,” he carried on. “We lost two others. Good hunters. And we never managed to find their bodies. Only traces of them.” The zith paced around the room seeming restless. “Look, I’ve paid for my crimes. I promised that I could give the zith hope and--” “You can never repay a life that you took!” Malice snarled into her face.

Sayana was quiet for a moment then spoke her rebuttal in a soft tone. “There are lives to be saved, lives to protect. I could make a hundred lives better, or I could just walk away. Am I wasting my time by coming here? Or are you so certain that you don’t want anything I could help with?”

He was skeptical and stared hard into her face. “I want what’s best for my colony. I don’t want to be peering over my shoulder wondering you’ll change into some traitor with a dagger plunged into my ribs. You lie and cheat. How do I know I can trust you?”

“You don’t. But for what it’s worth, the Seamstress decided to give me a second chance.” Sayana replied realizing that she had very little true evidence that she could be trusted. “But I’ll tell you this. I only developed my hatred for zith because of the treatment of one. Had I met a zith like Fury, or even you…”

A brief smile came to his face. “That little trouble maker is my niece, you know.” Malice spoke fondly. When surprise showed upon Sayana’s face, the zith laughed at her reaction. “We are all family here. You probably forget that. There are several other colonies here though. Ours is the biggest. And there’s bickering. Some zith have different hunting styles, some are vying for mates, some can’t stand the dead food here and are seeking live prey. But those are just symptoms of the real issue. And that is fear. Usually in winter, the wildlife dwindles a bit but it never just disappears entirely. And then our brothers and sisters are also disappearing. In all of last season, I only found one body and it was of an animal so mutilated I couldn’t tell what it was. So yes, we’re scared and with good reason too.”

Sayana listened to his words carefully. They knew something was out there but they didn’t know what. And both the danger and the lack of food drove them to take sanctuary in the city of Alvadas. There was certainly fear amongst them, even if they didn’t always show it. “I know someone who brings hope to those around her. I can teach the zith more skilled techniques and how to look out for one another. I can arm them with weapons to attack from above. And perhaps, as an outside force I can better unite the zith so that each colony feels represented. I can stir passion and show strength and power, but I’ll need your help to gain their trust. They know you. They trust you.”

For several ticks Malice considered her words. Her looks were deceiving and yet for all intents and purposes she seemed to believe what she said she was. And her words… they could be empty promises or another set up for betrayal. But at last he slowly nodded. “Now how about that kiss…”

Sayana speaking Zithanese

[Karin]

XP Award!

Name: Sayana

XP Award:

• Detection: +1
• Hypnotism: +1
• Kissing: +1
• Medicine: +1
• Persuasion: +2
• Running: +1
• Unarmed combat: +1

Lore:

• Fury: An innocent Zith
• Malice: Zith who leads
• Fury: Malice's neice

Notes: I really like the stories you weave Sayana. I really like how Sayana uses what she can to try and get control of the situation!



Additional Comments: Please remember to update your character sheet and edit/delete your grade request to show it has been graded. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Thank you!