Fantasy The True Strength of The Warrior

[Xillia]

The huntress Christina strode through the snow, the gentle powder falling fresh on her hood as her steel armor glinted as the sun slowly fell to the west, her heart was burdened as she spotted a familiar little creature, one in which would sustain her hunger for awhile, she didn't know how long. The broadsword she'd been gifted from her father still clung tight to her belt, a solid steel blade with a golden hilt and an inscription on the pommel. The language was far too old for her to read despite her literacy. Her plated hand slowly reached back for the longbow in which she drew swiftly, knocking an arrow and pulling the string all the way back. Her crystal blue eyes remained trapped on the squirrel as her fingers let the arrow fly, sinking into her target with little more than a slight "Thwack!" The sky was getting red at this point, she knew the burden of night was so close, the men would be after he, the soldiers of the more prominent kingdom. Her mind raced as she obtained her prize, looking around for a haven for the night, that was, at least, until she heard the hoof beats of over 2 dozen horses.

 

[Rook]

Adrian drew the knife across the branch he was holding. He had been sharpening it for the past hour, in order to finish his deer trap. Wood shavings were getting caught in the fur that made up his clothing, leaving the smell of nature in them. He sighed before blowing the wood dust off the tip, feeling it with the tip of his finger. It was ready. He jumped down from the tree he was sitting in and stooped in front of the rest of his trap. As his fingers looped the leather string around both the trap and the spear, he heard a bowstring release, followed by the impact of an arrow. He froze, backing up against the tree.

 

[Xillia]

The girl looked around in a panic, deciding whether or not a brutal fate was worth starving the night. Faced with a decision that was almost impossible to go wrong with, she fled, her boots immediately leaving their prints in the snow as she disappeared into the thicket, the sounds of men hooting behind her. They knew she was there, and they would find her, so in response, she ran, faster than she believed possible, the wind biting at her nose with each passing second.

 

[Rook]

Adrian heard panting, and footsteps. He looked around, unable to see the source of the sounds until a girl ran past him, her armor glinting slightly. He heard other men coming closer, so he took off after her. He wasn't a great fighter i the open, so his only chance of survival was to flee or shoot arrows at them from a tree. The girls footsteps werevisible in the dirt, so as he ran, he kicked the dirt around them to make them looked untouched.

 

[Xillia]

She was unaware of the man behind her as she barreled through a treeline, facing a steep slope with a river at the bottom, the only way for her to escape, and she knew it, yet, at this time of year she was for certain to freeze or catch some disease. However, she would rather take her chances than soon see her blood run over the snow, she took a leap, the roaring river taking her in as she was savagely torn downstream, barreling towards a waterfall.

 

[Rook]

Adrian reached a cliff, looking both right and left. The gorge was too wide for anyone to jump, and there were no footprints in any direction. She must have jumped. Down. He saw the girl bobbing in the water, unable to fight the current, heading straight for the foamy waterfall. He cursed and sprinted along the cliff after her. Adrian quickly tied a rope to and bolt and loaded it into his crossbow. He breathed in deeply, aiming, and fired into the cliff on the other side, within arms reach of her if she ended up being pulled too the falls.

 

[Xillia]

She felt her fingers wrap around the rope as her body began to lean over the falls, actually flailing a bit as she had fallen, keeping a tight grip on the rope, becoming entangled in heavy pressure downfall. The sleekness of the water slowly forced her fingers to bid the rope a fare-well, and she fell, plummeting into the lake, a near three hundred feet below, her body becoming lost among the rocks and foam.

 

[Rook]

"Why today of all days..." Adrian muttered, letting out a string of curses and he prepared himself. He shook his head a few times, clapped his hands, and sprinted straight off the cliff and towards the lake below. He had jumped cliffs before, but none this high. The water droplets in the air felt like knives across his skin. He pointed his feet just before hitting the water, breaking the surface tension so that the impact wouldn't kill him. Adrian surfaced, spitting out water, barely able to see through the foam. As soon as he spotted the girl, he began swimming towards her. The water was frigid, but he would survive. The girl, on the other hand, wouldn't if she had gone unconscious when she hit the water.

 

[Xillia]

Her body floated slowly towards the bank, she was facing down and the ripples of the water washed gently over her, she was undoubtedly suffocating but was unconscious and couldn't feel a thing. Her hood still covered her general appearance as her body moved in sweet melody towards the shore, a mist, rolling over the lake.

 

[Rook]

His feet duck into the gravel under the water, allowing him to rise up and run towards her. His clothes were soaked and weighed him down, but he ignored it. Adrian lifted the girl out of the water and carried her to the shore, laying her down on the icy dirt. Her chest was still, unmoving, causing Adrian to panic. He placed his hands on her chest and began pushing down on it, trying to start her heart again. After about 30 seconds of repeatedly pressing down on her chest, she jolted, coughing up water.

 

[Xillia]

She felt a deep chill in her mind as her eyes opened to a darkened surrounding, water spewing from her lip as she coughed roughly, the sound of the waterfall was heavy as it crashed down. She put her hands to her throat as she choked a little, yet forced the water out of her body. After she was done, she lied down, breathing heavily as she remembered the pressure that had awoken her, her hand going quickly to her sword as she drew it, pointing it at the neck of the mysterious man. Her eyes were visible as she gritted her teeth, the piercing blue optics stung into his, her mind was savage for a few moments before she realized he had saved her.

 

[Rook]

Adrian held up his hands in surrender. "Don't worry, lass. Not planning on hurting you or anything..." he said, swallowing hard. It was hard to seem confident when you had a blade pressed up against your throat. "Now... why don't we just lower our weapons, and get around to the introductions?" He could tell she was just a year or two younger than himself.

 

[Xillia]

Her eyebrows loosened up and she moved the sword away from his neck, she began to look around, then found herself staring at the top of the waterfall, wondering how she'd survived. "I'm sorry... That was rash..." She found herself shivering a little as she found herself completely drenched from head to toe. She laid her blade down, a fine ornate weapon of solid steel, nice and carefully on the icy dirt. She slid her hood off, her hair was wet and sticking to her face as her mouth produced freezing vapors of language. "What... is your name?" She shuddered, bringing her hand and knees close to preserve her body heat.

 

[Rook]

"Adrian" he replied, pulling off his wet coat. "But before we get to all of that, we should build a fire, or get somewhere warm. We'll die from cold out here, drenched like this." Adrian checked to make sure he had all of his gear before standing. He held his hand out to her, smiling slightly.

 

[Xillia]

She took his hand, her body was heavy as she rose, a small grunt escaping the back of her throat, "Alright, let's go..." She felt an extreme level of exhaustion as her feet went back underneath her.

 

[Rook]

Adrian began shivering as the wind brushed against his wet skin. the light snowfall wasn't helping either. His adrenaline rush had faded, leaving him incredibly tired. "The nearest village is a few... a few miles to the south, but i don't know if we'll make it that far. We should probably... make a fire. Set up camp."

 

[Xillia]

Her head perked up at the mention of a village, taking a few steps back from him, "Oh... no-no-no-no-no-no-no..." She gasped a little, "I can't, humans?" She began to process her thoughts, "No..."

 

[Rook]

Adrian looked at her, alarmed. "Whats wrong? Is someone after you?" he asked. "You're safe with me... well, unless the cold takes you. We don't have to go to a village if you don't want to."

 

[Xillia]

She breathed heavily, shaking her head as she thought, 'perhaps they won't recognize me... it's the soldiers I really need to worry about...' She gestured with her hand for him to keep going as she straightened herself up and began to go with him.

 

[Rook]

Adrian nodded unsure, straightening his quiver of bolts which had fallen of slightly from his shivering. "We should at least get a torch lit. Can you find some flint to create a spark? Ill grab some bark and a branch."

 

[Xillia]

She nodded, "Um... actually..." She reached into her rucksack where she know she kept one, yet, unable to find one, she began freaking out, the roaring of the water-fall becoming not-so-distant, the mocking sound piercing her ears. "It's in the lake..."

 

[Rook]

"Son of a..." Adrian began, but stopped. "Its fine. Just get some rocks, maybe we'll be able to make a spark from striking them together." He silently cursed himself for leaving his flint at his campsite up on the cliff.

 

[Xillia]

She shook her head and went back to the lake, her intent was to gather that flint, she was already freezing, what more could nature throw at her?

 

[Rook]

"Just... ugh. Here, tie this around your waist. If the cold knocks you out, i can haul you back in" i said, pulling my rope out of my belt and handing it to her.

 

[Xillia]

She smiled, a small laugh escaping as she puffed through her nose, tying the belt around her, she dipped her gauntlets into the freezing lake.