Eiyuu Kishi Den

Stupid question he thought to himself, slapping himself in the head mentally. "I can't imagine what it is to not know who your parents are... I'm... sorry I asked" He said. He said he was sorry because he thought that by asking, he had brought her down to the level of misery he was in. "You became a thief... and I became a mercenary, both of us becoming so to survive in this world" He said, though audiable, he didn't really say it to her, more like a spoken thought. "You must have been good at it to still be standing today, most of the jobs people give me were to track down thieves that robbed them... though I myself would never strike a woman" He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Alni just shrugged. Things weren't so bad now. She had people she could call family. Zira and Blaze, Katela and her mother and half-sister. "It leaves a lot of questions, I'll tell you that," she said. "When your survival counts on stealing, you work as hard as you can. Besides, most other guilds don't exactly welcome half-dark elves with open arms. Especially during the wars with Marmo."

A zip tore through the air and a arrow lodged itself in the ground just in front of Alni. With a yelp, she jumped back and drew her sword instinctively. Out of the nearby woods, a young man swaggered out with a wolfish grin. He was clad in hardened leather armor with drab clothing beneath and a beaten broadsword on his hip. Despite his ragged appearance, he still acted as if he wore the finest Valisian armor and carried a sword befitting a knight.

The reason for his cocky attitude was revealed as several other men of varying ages, yet similarly tattered and worn garb appeared from the roadside. They carried swords, bows and spears and most looked half-starved.

"Well, what do we have here?" the young man asked hooking his thumbs behind his belt. "A boy with a sword," despite the fact he was probably the same age as David, "A dark elf and three elf-wenches. Fork over your food and valuables and we might just let you go on your way," he ordered, wearing a malicious smirk.

Phaelle's eyes darted from one side to the other, taking into account the number of men, their stance and weapons. There were eighteen of them, entirely half with bows, and several others bearing spears.

Mundane weapons for the most part. Phaelle wouldn't be deterred by such measly weapons. The curse of unlife did come with many advantages. Her first impulse was to rush the leader. There were many warmbloods around - and enemies at that. She could feed.

But reason intervened before her mouth broke in a snarl. There were her friends to consider. David seemed the fine swordman, but the odds were still stiff. Katela and Alni looked able to defend themselves, but they looked more like hunters than fighters. The other dark elf, Tekara, was a shaman. He undoubtedly could handle himself. Problem was that any shaman that began summoning a spirit could be pierced with several arrows before the power came to bear. And there could be more men hiding in the woods. These men... half-starved. They probably resorted to thuggery as a last resort. Still, impeding us will not help them much further. Phaelle began having the feeling that this wouldn't be properly resolved with conflict.

Making a snap decision, she stepped forward and shielded Alni with her own body. She pointed the leader. "You, boy." Phaelle said, her voice clear. Her eyes bored into his and she began tugging at his consciousness, bending his will to hers as a vampire could, "We have nothing you want to lay down your lives to possess. Now take your weapons and leave from whence you came!"

David reached for his sword as well when the arrow came down, and then saw what looked like a small army of men behind the one that stepped out first. He reached behind him for his pouch when Phaelle stepped in. Perhaps she can reason with them, he thought, as he kept his hand on his pouch. He'd give it to them if it was absolutely necessary. If they were from Valis... that meant that they have lost everything but their lives he thought. He said nothing and did nothing, waiting on them.

The leader of the bandits felt strangely compelled to listen to the woman, but his pride overruled it. He could never allow himself to give into a woman. He was the one in control, ALWAYS. "Shut up wench," he hissed at the dark elf--or at least he believed she was. "You gotta have money if you're dressed like that! Fork it over!" He insisted. His friends shouted in aggreance while advancing with their weapons ready.

Tekara pushed Katela behind him protectively. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it. "Back off...you're not getting anything from us!" Tekara growled at the bandits.

Phaelle's confidence faltered somewhat. That human male had quite some will power to actually be able to resist her. She edged a bit back and bumped into Alni. Tekara shouted out in defiance. Phaelle's eyes narrowed in alarm. That human calling of my bluff was one thing... but that idiot is going to make them rush us like a pack of hungry wolves. Thirst was replaced by a rare feeling of anxiousness. If her companions died, she'd be alone again. She suddenly realized she didn't want to be alone again. Maybe there was a way though...

"Alright! We surrender!" she cried, raising her arms in a manner she hoped was placating. Her head turned and she glanced into her companions eyes, quickly, one after another. Obey. she begged through her eyes. Her stare than skimmed back to Alni. Sylph can repel arrows if you ask. Be ready for my move. She then turned back to the lead humans and began unlacing her corset, calling attention to the jeweled amulet on her neck.

If worse came to worse, the bandits would leave with the group's possessions, but something told David a plan was formulating. He could somehow feel that there was more to the surrendering of the group that met the eye. He shrugged off the thought mentally and unclipped his pouch from his belt, and held it in his hand, waiting for them to confiscate it, with his other hand still on the hilt of his sword should they try anything funny.

Reluctantly, and after a long hesitation, Alni removed her meager purse. She couldn't defend herself against these bandits, and if Phaelle and David believed they should pay the men, then Alni would follow the lead of her elders.

Katela edged her way toward the other three after Tekara pushed her behind him. That fool elf boy--really, she could call him that, she was older than he was--why couldn't he just give in, save them all the trouble. Katela bumped into Phaelle's back. She pulled her purse off her belt and dropped it to the ground. Cha Za, don't let them ask for any more!
The men started to close in around the party, weapons at the ready. One man snatched David's pouch. Others stared hungrily at Phaelle as she loosened her corset. Partially because of the amulet she wore, partially because of her. The ones near the back of the group, where Tekara stood at ready with his sword could do nothing but stare.

One of the men near the side motioned toward the half-elf girls with his sword. "Get those headpeices off, and empty your packs."

Katela and Alni both glared icily at the man who ordered their circlets. To both girls, the circlets they wore had great sentimental value. Neither of them were willing to give that up for petty thugs.

"Don't give them anything!" Tekara insisted. He held the men at bay with his sword, unwilling to give up anything.

"You can take our money, but don't you're not getting anything else!" Alni insisted hotly.
"You sure about that pretty girl?" One of the men near her side wore a lopsided grin and his head cocked to the side as he stared up from her rear to her bosom. He lifted his spear to pick up her skirt, and that was when Alni and Tekara had both had enough. Alni's sword flew from it's sheath and knocked away the man's spear, though untrained as she was, that was probably the best she could do.

Tekara came as a whirlwind of dark elven swordsmanship and opened the man's chest with a slash of his sharp Marmo blade. Of course, the instant he made a move against him, their anger turned to him. Over a dozen of the men charged Tekara.

Meanwhile, those who remained with David, Phaelle, Alni and Katela quickly put their blades to their throats.

Tekara fought desperately, fending off his attackers, and was doing a good enough job. He managed to take down at least five so far. But one of the smaller men jumped him from behind and put a dagger to his throat. With no warning, no witty quips, the little man drew the blade across Tekara's dark-skinned throat. Tekara's blue eyes widened and his throat worked as blood fountained down from the slashed arteries. He staggered and his killer jumped off, forcing Tekara to the ground where he feel with a dull thump and lay still.

Tekara's last gurgling gasps for air echoes in Phaelle's mind. She HAD tried deception without using magic. It would have gone a lot better though if the humans would have kept civil and Tekara would have just gone along with it. Then, she might not feel her conscience tugging at her this much. Still, the men assembled, probably much riled up by the death of five of their comrades.

"Easy." Phaelle softly said, her fingers running along the laces of her corset and her eyes not leaving that of the man holding a swordtip on her throat. "Alni, just drop the sword. And you men, be civil. Men from Valis ought to act better."

Her corset loosened, she shrugged off her robes. The finerry dropped down to the grassy soil, revealingmuch of her pale grey skin. Her only garment was a milky silk tunic which left very little to the imagination. One foot flicked her robes forward, and she unclasped her necklace from the neck. Holding the gemstone in one hand, she handed it forward. She noticed her fingers trembling. She stilled the anxiousness she felt... both for her friends' safety and for the incoming pain she knew would come. Let's see how they take to a living torch erupting among them. I just hope I'll have enough concentration to pull off a spirit summon.

David stared at Tekara's now lifeless corpse. That could have been me that went under the knife, he thought. Tekara had beat him to it when he had reacted to the actions of the dirty minded individual. He wouldn't dare try to help Tekara, even though it pained him to see a comrad fall before his eyes, the bowmen would easily pick him off if he moved. To make matters worse, he now had a knife against his throat, which tensed the situation greatly.

Soon after David heard Phaelle calm the group down with her soothing voice. It chilled him to see her so calm throughout the whole situation. As the men eased up, so did he. "It's saddening to see what has become of the people of Valis. I almost feel ashamed to be from the same place as you..." He said to no one in particular. He didn't know who these men were even though they appeared to be from the same city as him. Something told him that this situation was going to get... interesting, as the hands of the clock progressed for what seemed like an eternity, making each passing second feel like a minute.

Alni blanched and stared at Tekara's corpse, unable to take her eyes off him. She was frozen in shock, but Phaelle's request to drop her sword somehow made it through. She relaxed her fingers, which held onto the hilt with a white knuckled grip. It was hard to open her hand. Her grip finally loosened and the sword hit the ground with a clank. The man holding his spear to her throat reached forward to pull her pack off her shoulders, then reached for the silver and onyx circlet on her brow. Alni jerked her head away. "No....don't take it!" she cried. Zira gave it to her and promised to come back for her! She felt Phaelle's fine gown brush against her as the woman undressed. Alni felt helpless. An idea came mind. If she could summon salamander...maybe she could at least get this man's blade away from her throat and escape.

"Tekara!" Katela cried. That fool! That brash, hotheaded idiot! Such a waste of life. And the loss of a friend. Someone she was willing to help. She just heard his life story and now...she saw the end of that story. The Book of Tekara's Life closed. Tears fell from Katela's eyes and she clenched her skirt to keep from lashing out.

Alni dropped her head and sniffed, it was easy to get herself to cry. She was on the verge of crying anyway. All she had to do was let it go.

"C'mon," the bandit growled and roughly ran his fingers through her hair, trying to find her circlet.

Alni started murmuring a spell though, and anything this man heard, he would have mistaken for her sobbing. "Oh great...*sniffle* salamander *choke*, please, come to me, *cough*. Save me from this blade *sniff, choke* heat his hilt and make him pay," Alni finished. To her pleasure, she heard a yelp, the hand in her hair released the circlet, and the man with the blade jumped back and threw it away into the woods, then examined his burned hand. Alni quickly dashed away, scooping up her sword and pack as she ran. Arrows rained down at her, but she was too fast for human archers. She disappeared into the bushes and watched her companions, thinking of a way to help them.

The man guarding Katela took her pack as well, then felt around under the shoulders of her breastplate for the latches. With a click, her shoulder guards and short cape fell to the dirt. He took her sword, and her crossbow, then unlatched the sides of her breastplate.

Katela heard Alni going through the same thing, then her crying. Katela's ears, more sensitive than these bandits', heard the sound of a spell, and her jaw dropped as she realized Alni had cast a successful spell and ran for cover.

Suddenly, the man removing her equipment grabbed her by the chin and pulled her face up to look at him. "Don't even think about it elf-wench," he growled.

The young leader of the bandits was bouncing one of their coins in his hand while his men did the work. "Valis?" the boy said with a smirk. "I'm from Marmo," he replied, grinning maliciously.

The man with a blade to David's throat snorted. "I came 'ere from Kanon. Been doing this all my life boy," he grinned, revealing several missing teeth.

Two men had their eyes on Phaelle, one had his eyes fixed on her body and was nearly drooling, holding onto her dress. The other had his sword to her throat. "An' I'm from Marmo too. 'Bout the only one from Valis is that little runt there." He said and motioned toward the one drooling over Phaelle. The boy jumped as he realized he had been refered to, but he didn't say anything, just returned his attention to Phaelle.

Suddenly, they heard a yelp from the back of the group as Alni cast a spell on her guard and dashed into the woods. And managed to take most of her belongings as well.

"Falaris!" the leader cursed, "Well? Go get her!" He ordered to his men who had fought Tekara. Some were nursing injuries, others were standing ready. The little man with the knife was the first to dash across the road to Alni.

With that taken care of, the man keeping an eye on Phaelle yanked the amulet out of her hand.