Eiyuu Kishi Den

Valerios was riding Snowflake through the forest.
He felt exhausted and dirty. Patting the side of his mount's head, the armored Knight had clearly seen better days. His long blonde hair looked scruffy as it lay over his back.
He had travelled for a long time now looking for work. He had heard of rumblings to the East, hence he hoped it would give him a chance to find employment.
If not for the coin in his purse from a previous job, he'd really feel down.
Lingering memories of the skirmish of only a week ago still remained vibrant in his mind and to his senses.
Suddenly he called Snowflake to a halt and looked around. Slowly he drew his large sword which he surprisingly held in one gauntleted hand. His face was not protected by a helmet and it had a distinct boyish edge still though it was clear he had left childhood behind for many years now.
"Perceptive one aren't ye?" one of the hooded figures said. His compagnions appeared around him. Armed with bows and long daggers, their leader seemed to wield what looked like a large pair of scimitars.
"A robbery i presume" Valerios said with an annoyed sigh.
"Yek yek..." the man had the oddest laugh "Very perceptive young knight" he aimed one Scimitar at him. "I'm guessing you're one of Baron Merduk's recent hirelings?".
"Possibly" Valerios said.
"Good... means you were paid and heading to the East to bonk heads over there. You'll be able to recoupe your loss in no time"
"Oh? You assume i'll make a loss here?".
"Of course... you're surrounded. No way out. Don't be foolish. Your predecessor was...".
"Predecessor?" Valerios asked.
"Yeah a knight in green... show it to him".
One of the Bandits nodded and showed a ring to Valerios.
"Sir Gallilei!" Valerios hissed, remembering the charismatic man all too well.
He got a flash of an elder knight who had remembered his father. White haired but still strong he had saved Valerios's life twice during the small campaign. His blood seemed to heat at the thought of such a noble man being brought low by such common backstabbing criminals.
His gaze hardened and the leader took a step back. The figures cloaked in black tensed and the leader realized he had made a little mistake however he quickly recuperated.
"Don't do anythign foolish... you can't handle us all..."
There was a stand-off as Valerios realized he couldn't take them out not with some behind him. Nor did he have the room to charge. His sword gave range but he could only swing at best in an arc of 180 degrees.
He swallowed... he was armored, there was a chance that he could do it. Snowflake moved a bit on the spot, getting nervous as the cunning mount understood that danger was afoot.

Zira had camped in the woods overnight, craving a return to her sylvan roots after spending several months in the company of humans. The dark elven mercenary always had her fair share of troubles in the course of her job, but for some reason, she always felt determined to prove people's misconceptions wrong by showing that she was a compassionate person, regardless of her roots. However, it was exhausting; amongst humans she was always either hiding, or putting on a strong front. There were times when she just had to escape into the forest far away from people that were constantly judging her. Of course, she also had to be wary of other elves and chose uninhabited areas of woodland to make her camps.

As she set out into the forest this morning, the sounds of conflict to the north were carried to her ears. She heard rumors of a band of thieves in the region, but she hadn't yet encountered them. Perhaps they had found some mark on the road a good mile or two away. Zira was tempted to just ignore the conflict and go about her own business, just so she could avoid more conflict with humans, but her morals won out. If she could help, she owed it to whoever was in need.

With a heavy sigh, she shouldered her traveling pack, checked her weapons, and set out at a run towards the disturbance. As she drew near the road, Zira pulled herself up into a tree and began to travel through the canopy so she could surprise the bandits. They likely didn't expect elves in this region, which was why they set up camp somewhere around here.

The dark elf finally came close enough to the road to see men through breaks in the leaves, and she began to move more quietly. Hopefully her green garb would keep her camuoflaged so any sounds she did make could be dismissed as wildlife. Stopping on a thick branch, she watched as a young man in armor mounted on a white horse tried to fend off the brigands. Zira did a count of the bandits and quickly brainstormed a few summoning options to help out the knight.

Zira mustered her will and decided to reach out to the spirits of darkness. Though she had forsaken much of her dark roots, she still called upon spirits the light elves wouldn't dare touch. Her father had trained her well in shamanism, and her will to command them was strong enough. "I summon thee, Spirits of Darkness, drain the strength of those whom I deem worthless," she whispered, calling for the spirits from the shadows, her tone and words sharp and harsh. Focusing on the men behind the knight, the dark spirits obeyed the command and from the very shadows of the bandits, rose up and sucked the life energy out of three men.

Releasing her command of the dark spirits, Zira dropped down to the ground where she could touch the earth and form a stronger command of the earth elemental, Gnome. Crouching down, just out of sight behind a tree trunk, she laid her hand on the ground. "Great Gnome, guardian of the earth, strike upwards with your spears at my enemies," she summoned again. At her urging, pillars of rock and soil shot forth suddenly, bludgeoning several men and knocking them off their feet and impaling two others on the other side of the knight.

The two spells had drained her spiritual power significantly enough, but she had evened the odds a little. If he needed more help, then she had more than enough physical strength left. If necessary, she could try another summon or two given a few moments to recover.

He blocked the blow of an agressor and kicked one man down as soon as hell broke loose.
He wasn't entirely sure what had happened but he'd try and figure it out when he was sure his life was in the clear.
Suddenly Snowflake kicked the man behind her, sending the fool crashing into the floor. Turning his horse he lashed out at another man, his blade digging deeply into the flesh. His sword was unusually large but he wielded it with a certain ease, indicating his physical strength. They were many though and though he had faced superior before, the road and situation was not to his advantage. Two of them were aiming their crossbows at him, just as he turned to face the leader who barked orders to his men, to maintain order. At this range, no armor would save him from their bolts....

"Oh, in the name of Falis," Zira grumbled as two men raised their crossbows at the knight. Sylph was always the best spirit to guard against ranged attacks, but she wasn't sure if she still had recooperated enough energy to summon the wind spirit. She didn't have much time to aim and throw daggers from here, and there was no guarentee they'd save the knight from the bolts.

So, she mustered her will and spoke a summon to Sylph, raising a shield of air between the crossbowmen and the knight. When the crossbows were fired, they richochetted uselessly off a wall of wind that visibly fluctuated with the impact. Zira now took the time to draw two daggers hidden within her clothing and flung them at the two crossbowmen.

OOC: You can decide what happens to those two, I really don't feel creative enough to write more of a fight.

Valerios's blade dug deep into the leader and he pulled back the blade, turning Snowflake around, he was just in time to see a pair of daggers penetrate the throats of two crossbowmen. One fell backwards in silence, dropping his crossbow. The other man seemed to stare at the Elvish beauty with wide eyes, his hands reaching for the dagger. His crossbow hit the floor but before it had done so, all life had left the unfortunate bandit. Falling forward, he lay still in a growing puddle of blood.

Valerios studied Zira's appearance for a moment, trying to place her. He seemed still somewhat surprised at her appearance but than smiled mildly and agilly moved from Snowflake. The blonde longhaired Knight bowed lightly. As he did so the chainmail and plating of his armor made a light clicking noise. "It seems i am in your debt dear lady. I am Valerios. With whom do i have the pleasure fair lady" the young knight said.

As the knight noticed her, Zira braced for the worst, but to her surprise, he seemed utterly unfazed by her appearance. Help is help, I suppose, she thought to herself. "'Fair' lady is a rather odd way to great a dark elf," she commented with a raised eyebrow, but quickly continued to introduce herself, "My name is Zira. A pleasure to meet you, Valerios."

He looked her over once more.
"I can't say i ever met a Dark Elf before." he seemed genuinely curiuous about her, given the way he was staring at her. His initial fixation at chestlevel had passed after only two seconds. Far below the average male reaction to her physique.
"And though your race has a less than pleasant reputation... if you planned to kill me or steal from me... you'd have tried a different approach i think. Unless you're insane" he smiled "But i doubt Lady Zira is either... or am I mistaken?".

Zira smiled slightly. "You're lucky. I am indeed neither, and I suppose I'm a bit strange compared to the rest of my kind," the dark elf replied, then turned to the bodies of the crossbowmen to retrieve her daggers. With a grimace, she pried the small blade out of the neck of the closest man, trying not to bloody her gloves too much.

"So, where are you headed then, Sir Valerios?" she asked, tagging a 'sir' onto his name since he had referred to her as a lady. Normally, Zira was not one for such formalities, and she was usually more familiar with people, but then, she rarely interacted with knights. They had their etiquette, and if he wanted to stick to that and call her a lady, she'd play along.

Valerios watched her remove her daggers.
This was an odd one. He had met Elves... twice. But never a Dark Elf. Let alone one who seemed so atypical. He supposed he should distrust her... but he could find little reason for her to deceive him.
Let alone risk her life to achieve such an aim. He was unimportant and uninvolved with her kind. "Well m'lady i'm heading eastward" he casually pointed in that direction.
He than patted the hip of Snowflake.
"I hear there might be some work for me there. As a mercenary or as a retainer" he added. "Local political rumblings and some feuds getting out of hand. Such things always bring opportunity for wandering knights without a cause or lord. And you m'lady?" Valerios asked almost casually.

After retrieving both daggers, Zira wiped them as clean as she could on the clothing of one of the dead men, then held them casually at her side to avoid the work required to re-sheath them. "Well, I was on a 'vacation', you could say," she replied to Valerios. Turning a critical eye on him, she asked; "Are you some sort of free knight? I thought knights were usually in the service of a nation, not a single lord."

"Not all of us are fortunate enough to have vast lands or a cause to serve" Valerios said.
"I inherited a sword..." he tapped the hilt of his huge sword, which rested veritcally with the tip buried in the mud and his other hand resting atop the grip's pommel.
"And my father's martial skills. Now it is up to me to return glory and honor to the family name" he said. "Defacto I am what my people call a 'Knight Errand'... a wandering knight" he said. "But I am content. Experience is found through travel and challenge, not by sitting in a castle sparring with common soldiers and neighbouring lords. And I choose my own cause, I live by my own code. So far i have found nobody worthy of my allegiance. Most nobles so far have turned out to be incompetent or lacking in vision and moral backbone. Entangled in petty feuds they diminish the concept of 'chivalry'. A concept that seems to have gone beyond the grasp of so many 'knights'. My father it seemed was quite right".
There was a vague bitter edge to his words but overall he did not seem to dispair over his fate. It seemed more as if he remembered something unpleasant while answering her.
Snowflake turned around and passed Valerios partially to sniff at Zira.
"She seems to like you..." he said amused.

As the white mare sniffed her, Zira petted the horse's nose. "We elves tend to have that effect on animals," Zira replied with a wink.

"So then, you're basically a mercenary with a chivalric code then, hmm?" Zira asked. She had her own codes of conduct in the career; she didn't take just any job, and those that she did take were mostly beneficial. Often, she took work as a bodyguard for merchants, and she had hired into the Flaim army during the war. Mercenaries were a broad and varied bunch in Lodoss, either with their own specific code of ethics, or none at all.

The word 'mercenary' momentarily raised one of his eyebrows.
But he showed no further reaction to the statement "I suppose that's one way to look at it" he said.
"..." there was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other. "You're welcome to join me if you want. It's quite a trip" he said.

The dark elf sighed. "Well... I suppose I've rested enough," she replied with a shrug. "I suppose you and I might be interested in the same kind of work. Perhaps we could partner up." Zira's lip tugged up in a smirk. "Besides, who knows when the knight might need to be rescued again?" she teased.

He flustered at that comment.
"Hmpf..." he pulled a funny face but finally smiled anyway.
"Very well... why not" he said. "It should be an interesting sight" he stated.
"A dusty Knight and an unusual Dark Elf...".