Mirian Alasi's Story

Mirian ran away from the Tomachi village. She still saw the houses that were nothing but charcoal anymore and the corpses laying around the ground in her mind. She had no idea what has happened or where her family was. Her mother and younger brother had been living in the village. Mirian hoped they were okay.

She was in the pine forest now, desperately trying to find a sign of her family. She saw few footprints, but as good tracker as she was, it was impossible to tell which ones would belong to someone she knows. The foot prints were indistinct, the grass had returned to its place and covered the signs someone would have walked there.

As calm as Mirian usually was, her nerves started to crack. Not knowing what has happened or where her family might be, her anxiety grew and she became restless. ”Calm down”, she said to herself. ”Calm down and think. What has happened? There's been fire, yes that it is. But what caused the fire...?” Despite her efforts of trying to calm down, she eagerly wanted some sing that there would still be hope – a small crack, maybe a whisper – something that would let her know there was survivors.

Then she heard a distant voice, a shout maybe. Mirian wasn't sure what it was, but having no better plan she decided to go and search what has caused it. She walked forward hoping to find someone who could help her. ”Please, let them be alive...”

Mirian walked until she was sure she heard voices ahead. It sounded like a battle was going on, someone was shouting as well. She still hadn't any idea what has happened in her childhood town and just in case she decided to cover herself with the shadows. Even though she was skillful at sword fighting, she preferred not to start unnecessary fights. ”Let the night and the shadows in it hide me” she whispered. The shadows of the trees draw themselves towards her, covering her in shadows, letting no light near her. Mirian felt the coldness that came with the shadows and shivered. It was something she would never get used to.

She walked forward and came to the edge of the clearing observing what was going on. Staying in the forest she leaned towards a pine. She would decide who can be trusted after figuring out what was happening. It would be almost impossible to see her when she just stayed out of the light and still. It seemed there was just a another shadowy, dark spot in the forest. And while it was raining as heavily as now, there were no light that would reveal her.

There had been only one person so far who could see her despite her skill: her brother. With the thought in Mirian's mind, two tears fell to ground.

Azian stopped. Turning slowly he looked over at the she-man. His face fell, and he instinctively wanted to throw his sword when the she-man started to slap her/his own behind.

“You have got to be kidding me,” he said eyes narrowed in frustration. What did this fool think of him? That he was after woman? That he wouldn’t know his intended target? He laughed, suddenly, joyfully. Shadows couldn’t be harmed, not by silly tricks by silly humans. Or did they just not understand that?

It was time they learn.

He stood, leaving Ammy on the ground as he began to slowly make his way over to the she-man, his face almost entirely amused.

“You’re accent is off, voice to squeaky, and….just please never wear a dress again,” he said as he approached, “Even the animals are crying.”

He stopped, playing with his sword as he debated where to stick him. Ammy had woken, even her own dizzy face a bit…off as she looked at Azian’s back and the woman--was that even a woman?—in front of him. Azian needed to be stopped, but with what? Quickly she looked around, scanning the trees and the shadows, her nose catching a scent.

Fire and ashes, and girl? Was she just like Azian? No she had a heart beat that was clear as day. Ammy’s ears flickered forward to the sound of her breathing and glanced at Earth. He was sitting still, the darkness still oozing and flexing around his body, the connection made to Azian’s body. Through it she could see a flash of steel. A sword.

“You really shouldn’t have interfered,” Azian said quickly, stepping forward his purple eyes looking over the blade of his sword, “I was a man of my word when I was alive, I’m a man of my word in death too.”

A smirk, a sudden swift movement and a spatter of blood. Azian stopped, his hand softly closing around Earth’s smaller katana though his stomach cavity. His eyes were wide, the tendrils releasing Earth as he suddenly lost the will to hold them. Ammy trembled softly behind him, her hands holding the sword. A smile, a cough of death and wet squelch of the blade being pulled back out and the tip dropping to the ground. She was shaking, trembling as Azian sunk to the ground.

“Well done,” he said softly. Ammy didn’t hesitate, she moved forward, grabbing his hand and placing her own over the wound she’d just created. She did the unthinkable, and began to heal the wound. Azian frowned, stroking back a strand of hair behind her ear and then smiled. He was going to die…

Don’t trust the woman spirit, Ammy. She’s dangerous and sly.

Dangerous?

She is a soul consumer, Ammy. Don’t be afraid of the horse either. He is a friend to you.

A Friend?

We call him a Helper. You can see through his eyes.

What is this?! Why did I get this?!

Ammy, his mind was soothing, yet faint, you know what it is. It’s the Sight. It is a gift from Frenris and Tor. In your own time you will know why you must use it, and what for.

Azian….I didn’t ask for this.

Neither did we but we needed a champion.

We? You mean there are more of you?

Plenty more. A laugh. Just hold on to hope….and Ammy?

Yes?

Heal.

Heal?

Killing isn’t in your nature. Not really. Take care of those you love.

AZIAN! AZIAN WAIT!

He was fading fast, his thoughts shoving against hers. She’d never had a person die on her while connected, she didn’t know what was going to happen; but she remained touching him, eyes closed, tears running down her cheeks. She clung to his consciousness and didn't let go.

Peter, while on the ground bleeding slowly got up trying to chant the Elvish healing spell. Once he got back to his feet he had the branches wrap around himself and he changed to his regular traveller's clothes. "God i hate it when i change like that and it doesn't work... Are you two alright?" Peter said curiously, as he was straightening himself up. "Sorry for the disturbing scene of my transformation, apparently it's supposed to help. Peter Singrass nice to meet you." He said as he stuck out his hand to shake hers, then he looked down. "I am still confused about the situation. Who is he?" He said confused

Mirian had watched the events from the shadows. They didn't make much sense to her but she still figured out that the biggest threat of getting into battle, was gone. She was still figuring out whether to show herself or not when there was a flash of light. Her skill wasn't enough to hide from such a sudden and bright light. She was clearly visible just for a moment.

She sighed, knowing that someone had to have saw her just now. Slowly she stepped away from the forest to the clearing. Mirian waved her hand and the shadows vanished in front of her revealing herself. The moment was a bit awkward for her, she wasn't sure what to say. She felt that if she talked now, she would just been bothering.

A little brown colored squirrel stood idly on a trees branch, cocking its head in random directions energetically. The rain had drenched its fur and the iconic curved tail, usually smooth and fluffy, was by rain wet and heavy, the long strands of hair hanging, flowing with water.
Squirrel jump!
The squirrel plunged from the tree down onto the lady who had just recently appeared out of nowhere, landing on her head. Clinging to her hair, somewhat entangling itself but not so much it could not come free, the little creature swung down from her head and managed to grip onto the clothes her clothes, slipping between the folds and crevasses of the fabric and into a pocket. Its purpose for such an act: it was looking for food. Sadly, there was none. Instead it grabbed a random item and popped out of the pocket, landing on the ground and scurrying away in the direction of Earth and Ammy.

------

There was white clinging around Earths neck. Pale skinned arms, and more importantly, white fabric, a white dress against his body. Why had it turned white? There were no answers really but it was of no importance. Earth could only see the top of Ammy’s head, her face was hiding. Her furred ears were folded, sunken. He understood that she was probably crying.
“You said you were done here...?” Earth said, speaking low.

Suddenly Mirian felt a little thump on her head. Next thing she saw was a cute little squirrel hanging on her clothes before falling to her pocket "Hello little one, where did you come fr..." The squirrel had jumped away running away with something it had snatched.

What was it? Mirian looked at her pocket. "No...No!" The rodent had taken her mothers silver ring that had a round topaz in it. The ring Mirian had found from her childhood home -- or what used to be her childhood home, now just a pile of burned wood and ashes. The ring that was somehow survived from the fire.

She ran after the squirrel. "Come back here!" When she was close enough to catch the rodent, it decided to change its direction. The squirrel, that looked more like a wet ball of fur, zigzagged on the clearing Mirian following behind it feeling herself completely idiot. She didn't even care that it was running towards the two person she didn't know. She wanted the memento of her mother back to herself. "Come on little squirrel, give it back to me!" She started to get pissed off. To a squirrel that was not so cute anymore.

Wiesel was having a rather interesting day. Strangely, despite there being a storm going on, and having gleefully discovered the charred remains of the town he held in spite for so many years, he began joyously searching for the new influx of prey that must of fled to the forest, though curiously had struggled to find anyone.
Darting through the undergrowth and in-between the trees, Wiesel looked around feverishly anyone or anything, to without much success. The surprisingly well dressed bandit grumbled to himself as he clambered up a nearby tree, the raindrops, drumming against the brim of his hat, and he squinted into the distance, peering out for any signs of movements.
He suddenly had a dark smirk on his face when noticed in a clearing there appeared to be three individuals, one a tall looking man, the other two some dainty looking women, most of them looking fairly exhausted. The bandit was somewhat intimidated by the ridiculously large sword the man owned, as well as his muscles, but Wiesel decided it would be best to get a closer look to determine if he would take action or not.

With this quick decision, he clambered back down the tree and carefully sneaked over towards the clearing he had saw, keeping to the trees to avoid being seen, while giving quick peeks to check his distance, until he crawled into a bush a few meters away from the group, and peered at them through the branches. As he was closer he saw the man was indeed a dangerous looking individual, looking like he obviously was experienced in battle before, and definitely not the best man for him to fight, that is, if he isn't worn out as he thought. The first woman, both of them being young, was with pale white skin, a white dress and long braided hair,as well as tattooed shoulders and seeming to be of no danger. The same could be said of the second woman, who seemed to be furious at a squirrel holding a bejeweled ring, was a fair bit shorter than the other, with long black hair, but also pale skin, and seeming to be fairly prepared for battle, though Wiesel believed prejudicial that she wasn't as seasoned at the male warrior. The bandit seemed to believe there might be more outweighing him than he first thought, and sat in the bush, waiting to make a decision in his head on what to do.

A chittering, a small cry of frustration and the running of footsteps soon had Ammy’s attention. Her head turned, wolf ears swiveling forward to catch the noise of everything else around her. Her eyes went wide and she gave a sad little smile.

It was squirrel being chased by a girl. Both were sopping wet and she cracked a small smile as she crouched, palm out to the ground. The squirrel had no problem of her sudden movement, and its little claws pricked at her skin, scurrying up over her arm and neck, tail streaking out behind him as it clambered and ran all over her laughing body. It came to a stop on her shoulder, beady eyes blinking and tail wagging as his chest rose and fell faster and faster. His scent filled her nose, one paw on her cheek; he smelled of pine, nuts, earth and very wet fur. Her nose wrinkled but she remained smiling. He was panting and Ammy turned her cheek softly, glancing at the rodent.

“What you got there?” she asked, looking at the massive ring inside of the paw. She slowly, very slowly reached across her chest to grab the ring. Before she could close her fingers around the metal the squirrel tittered, shook his tail and leapt off of her shoulder. Her hand shot out, reaching for the tail as fast as possible, but to no avail; her hand closed on air.

“Come back here, you!” she called, giving chase with the girl. If only her bow hadn’t broken! She could have shot the thing into the ground—no, it wasn’t the squirrels fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. The squirrel was just doing what squirrel’s do; that didn’t mean that it deserved to die. Content with that she gave chase, using her movements to keep it from climbing up into the trees. She prowled near the edge of the tree line, watching the squirrel hesitate.

He rotated back onto his haunches, tail swishing as his whole body shook, and droplets falling from his pelt at the same rate it was coming from the sky. One tree, she was blocking the tree to his home, and with a small smile she lean back against the bark and crossed her arms. The torrential downpour had become a simple light misting, and her hand gently patted against the bark as the creature hopped forward. Once. Twice. Stop.

Ammy smiled. Good. He was thinking. She watched as the little nose moved, beady eyes glancing to the bush just a few feet from her. She too looked at the bush. It didn’t appear to have any food; and squirrels didn’t have burrows to call home. So why that bush?

Her ears pricked forward, her nose sniffing the air as she caught scent of the mystery. It was a male—human, her nose told her. She wouldn’t call him out just quite yet; hiding from someone with the scenes as powerful as wolf was near impossible, but he didn’t know that. Ammy looked at Earth, then back at the squirrel as it hopped forward a few more times. Maybe she should call him out. She didn’t know his intentions and sulking in a bush meant one of two things. One, he was too shy to reveal himself just yet to the situation. Two, he didn’t want to reveal himself because he had something sinister in mind. But which one was it?

If she called him out, he could run, or he could attack. Either way they could lose a companion and quickly gain an enemy. She certainly didn’t want that and she decided not to call him out.

Her attention turned back to the squirrel, her eyes glancing up at the girl.

“Think you can sneak up on him?”

Mirian was now chasing the squirrel with help of the girl. She started to relax knowing that getting the ring back would be now easier.

“Think you can sneak up on him?” she heard the girl asking. Mirian nodded and slowly approached the squirrel. Slowly she watched as the rodent moved forward a jump by jump. But it wasn't running anymore. That was good. She kept her eyes in the squirrel. When she was close enough of it, Mirian jumped forward. The small rodent let out a little squak, but dropped the ring before headed towards the bush in panic. It jumped and landed straight on the man's, who was hiding in there, face.

Mirian picked up the ring, looking the topaz. "Thank you" she said quietly.

-//Gamemaster announcement: Story Element//-

Rain from the clouds hurled down at the blackness at its height, how far up may it be, the top of the wall?
Flattened and shattered on impact, each drop sent sprinkling fragments off the edge of the wall, down, insignificantly swept into the rest of the sky fall. Upon the masses bellow it poured.

Walking alongside the great black wall, there were soldiers, over five hundred soldiers each one wearing a red scarf spun one lap around their necks and black iron armor, looking a mix between Arab and Chinese style, the leg guards being of little long metal flakes placed after and on one another like the tiles of a roof, accompanied by wide pants, usually being cloudy light, but in rain seeping with bitter wetness.
Ahead of the 500 walked a man taller then any behind him, his figure peaked with an obtusely angled cone straw hat. Like an umbrella it gathered rain and guided it into streams of water, flowing to the edge and pouring off in several little one drop thick waterfalls. Round his neck were not one ring of red scarf but three and on his body there was no armor. Instead there were robes white and black, and worn on them a long and wide pink silk coat. In his right hand he gripped the throat of a guitar, in his left hand he held a large and thick book.

They were marching though the rainfalls, wet and miserable, heavy clothes under armor heavier still, mushy feet in water drenched boots. The soldiers went on with their heads low and there was a silent atmosphere that no one seemed willing to break. Their only sound was that of metal armor, heavy breathing and boots against forest floor.

The man in front with the pink robe and red scarfs began whistling in his walk. It was not a cheerful whistle, it sounded a half melancholy traditional ditty, something suited for singing children to sleep, and it rang unnaturally clear, a perfectly clean tone.
There was something about him as he went on whistling; the air around him felt... abnormal, dreamlike, and the sound of whistle became mesmerizing. Before long, the heads of the soldiers rose, the sound of their boots gained rhythm and the weight of their breaths lifted. They looked up at the man ahead, his tall figure in the wide coat of pinken silk, the straw hat and the long black hair draping his scarlet scarfs and hanging far down his back. And they followed him, passionately, along the side of the black wall.

Ammy smiled, her hand waving off the thanks. It was what any good person would do and the act of aiding another was something that made her, Ammy, feel happy about her own being. Why should she be thanked for something that made her feel good inside? Maybe it was a way of expressing gratitude through words instead of actions. The words, thank you, didn’t mean anything in her own language; in fact there was no translation. Instead it was implied and repaid as a debt later on in life. Ammy didn’t think that helping retrieve a ring was worth much, so the expression of gratitude was enough to settle the debt owed (in her mind). Do no harm, were the words that echoed in her head and she embraced them willingly. War was over in her own soul and a gesture of friendliness was in order.

She walked forward, brushing the dirt from the bark off, using just the friction of her hands to send it into the ground. Ammy stepped forward, embracing the woman for a moment before stepping back.

“Ammy Seppen at your service,” she said, smiling softly as she moved a wet strand away from her lips, “And this here is Earth. We’re warriors on a quest. Isn’t that right, Earth? Well, something like it anyways.”

She’d made her way over to the warrior, her hand on his shoulder as her eyes smiled.

“We’re going to meet up with a few of our friends,” she said, gesturing towards the darkness that loomed like a menacing shadow, “Hopefully we’ll find them soon and figure out what that wall is hiding. Come with us if you like. I’d love to have some female company, I’m surrounded by men. And I’m sure you have an interesting story. I wouldn’t mind lending an ear.”

She smiled, patted Earth on the shoulder and began walking towards the last place she had seen the group trough the horses eyes. Hopefully Keph would pick up her stuff and catch up once he had woken and was feeling better. As for the others, they would follow—she hoped.

Wiesel held his tongue and his annoyance back as the little squirrel leaped into the bush and landed right upon his face. The bandit stroppily clawed at the squirrel before clasping its mouth shut to avoid any noise and gripping it in his other hand, giving a minute hiss of frustration and in an attempt to intimidate the sprightly little mammal to keep quiet. As he looked away from the tree dwelling rodent, he realized the little beast had dropped the ring, now being reclaimed by the black haired girl once again, who thanked the other woman, who he realized had looked over to the bush in suspicion a number of times, much to Wiesel's dismay.

The bandit thought that perhaps Ammy, as she introduced herself to the black haired lady, was more perceptive than he originally guessed, gritting his teeth in greater frustration, but still sat quietly and as still a she humanly could, continuing to clasp onto the squirrel. The taller warrior, named Earth apparently, merely stood quietly on the whole event, causing greater suspicion in Wiesel, and leaving him with the conclusion, staying hidden was the best course of action at the moment, and releasing the poor forest animal in his hands was not an option.
He continued to sit patiently, feeling quite on edge, though it seemed Ammy was quite friendly towards strangers, perhaps a weakness he could exploit when it seemed safer? Though perhaps not good news as she also mentioned a few other friends were around, and she and Earth were hoping to reunite with them. By the second it seemed the prey were multiplying into a small herd that needed his wits about to slay. So he sat without sound, continuing to stalk the three travelling warriors, a heavy scowl upon his face.

”I'm Mirian. Mirian Alasi.” she introduced herself. ”I'm actually looking my family that lived in Tomachi village. I was going to visit them but the village... it... it's destroyed.” she spoke quietly trying to keep herself calm. ”I have no idea what's happened in there... You haven't seen a 14-year-old boy or a woman who looks pretty much like me around here, have you?” Mirian asked hoping to get some good news.

”Or maybe your friends know about them?”

"There she is."
She had been talking but he had not been listening. Earth was looking at Ammy, more specifically at her face and her hair as she greeted the black haired woman.
"And who is she…?"
Earth was gazing through slanting eye as his body was facing a direction that was not toward the women. Out of strange habit, he greatly preferred turning his eye over turning his neck.

Earth knew there was something hidden in a nearby brush because since the moment he'd found her here, he had been watching Ammy closely for seconds at a time, and he had deduced that her movements towards it had been slightly... irregular... curious. Earth had realized many of Ammy’s movements and their meanings at this point.
He looked at her again for another few seconds.
"How important is she...?" He asked himself as though hoping the question would spring a feeling and answer itself.
The women kept talking and Earth kept not listening, even though they were so close he could reach them with his arm.
"How important?"
Their voices were for some reason drenched in the sound of rain, and intense was the rain; The kind that people without umbrellas run in in order to quickly get inside whatever place they are heading, often also trying to pull their coats or capes over their heads in order provide their hair protection, and hunching slightly forward to for the same reason, but to no avail. Why would hunching help in any way or form?
Sounds of nature were what filled Earths ears when he was thinking, it seemed.

"Grey?" In his mind, Earth called the spirit in his left eye.
"Yes?" and she was quick to answer. For some reason she sounded like a woman awaking in an inquisitive mood; the tone was rising and smoothing (smooth and soothing) but a little tired.
"Is there anything else you wanted me to do in this place?" He asked.
"Hmhm." Her murmuring laughter. "Sweet of you to ask. But no love, there is not." She was always like that, even though she really wasn’t. Or so he had perceived it.
"...Good." It was good because Earth did not like this forest. “When you can do nothing you should do nothing.” was a motto he had inherited and somewhat lived by whenever it suited him(In reality he just liked not doing things most of the time). However, in this forest he could not find peace in silence, stillness and loneliness as he usually would. And that was bothering him greatly.

Earth left the depths of his mind and awoke to the world right at the moment the black haired woman said:
”Or maybe your friends know about them?”
Earth did not take the question into regard; he let it slip rights though his interest and spoke.
"Im going."
And he turned away and turned his back to them. The golden pony tail, bare back and massive sword of golden hilt hooked onto a broad belt round his hips. The blade pointed upwards, rising far past his head. He began strolling. Earth did not want to stay in the pine forest so he would leave it, heading north for the mountain pass.

“Earth? Hey Earth!”

Why would he just up and leave like that? Was something bothering him that much about his surroundings?

She frowned, looking at the girl and then back at Earth. She had a choice to make; did she follow the man who appeared to want to protect her, or did she stay with the girl who looked so lost? For a moment she was torn.

“I haven’t seen any other survivors, besides two others. Neither one of them were male, or even old enough to be a mother. I’m sorry,” she was anxious, a small whine in her throat as she stared after her companion, his body having already disappeared into the trees. She sighed. “We mustn’t lose hope Mirian. The world already has too much fear.”

Her ears fell, her body trembling softly as she returned a sad gaze towards the woman. Earth had already vanished out of sight. She could have caught up with him, but something told her to stay, something dark was waiting to happen.
“Come on,” she said, leading them in direction she believed she would find the rest of her group.

“We mustn’t lose hope Mirian. The world already has too much fear.” Ammy said and Mirian nodded wiping out couple of tears. ”You're not going after your friend?” she asked when following the girl.

Ammy shook her head, water droplets flying around her as she gave a small smile.

“I can find Earth again anytime I need to,” she said, tapping her nose softly with a wink, “It’s the others that I am worried about. They couldn’t track a dragon in this weather, much less a human being. It would be a miracle if they’re still together.”

She stopped, sniffing the air, a combination of fear and something else, a familiar scent that had her brow furrowed in frustration. It was a scent she should have known oh so well, but then why did—Keph.

“Keph! KEPH?!”

Ammy began to run, following her nose in an effort to find her companion and fast. What threatened him? How could she react? Branches ripped at the side of her face, tearing and scratching her skin as she suddenly came to the scene. Her legs were all muddy, her eyes as round as the sun. Here was something that would haunt her dreams for days to come.

Keph was biting. A woman that Ammy thought maybe she knew before, but who had no scent, was connected to him through a stream of particles, their colors warm and full of life. Life? Life! This bitch was sucking the energy right out of Keph, and with it, his life. Her lips curled, ears lying flat as a savage growl ripped up from her throat. She couldn’t kill, but she could fight.

“Let. Go. Of. My. Friend.”

Mirian nodded as Ammy said she could find Earth everytime needed. She knew tracking wasn't hard when you just had good senses. And by the looks of Ammy it seemed she was half animal as well.

“Keph! KEPH?!” Ammy shouted suddenly. Mirian stared after her a while when she started running forwards. Having no better plan Mirian sighed and went after her. The scene she saw was something unbelievable. A young boy was attacked by a woman. ”That woman...She looks somewhat familiar...No. It must be my imagination.” Mirian tought in her mind. There were some kind of light streams as well. Once again Mirian had no idea what was happening and she had a feeling it would soon become a habit.

“Let. Go. Of. My. Friend.” Ammy said and Mirian walked next to her. She looked at Ammy. ”It's my time to help you” she said to Ammy flashing a quick smile. Although she usually avoided unnessary fights, that had nothing to do with her, Mirian wanted to help both the boy and her new companion. She took her katana from its steath and stepped forward. ”You heard her. Let the boy go.”

Much to Wiesel's surprise, Earth had suddenly turned and just simply left, with no explanation, much to everyone's confusion, but to Wiesel's benefit, especially after he realized the warrior also knew he was hiding, causing him to give a sly smirk as he continued stalking Ammy and the other woman who referred to herself as Mirian. He also gave a quick look of surprise to himself that Mirian came from his village, though probably she was a mere child when Wiesel left, so had no recollection of her at all, that and apparently she left years ago.

He then found that before his mind could wander down memory lane, the pair of ladies had began to go off to search for any survivors, with Wiesel following in tow at a safe distance, but not before 'discarding' the squirrel that he had previously clutched in his hands. After carefully clambering up a tree when the pair of strangers stopped in horror, peering down to see that a boy was being attacked by some third woman, and Ammy was certainly not happy that Keph, apparently the boy being the one mentioned earlier, was in danger. Wiesel was smiling ear to ear at this, reasoning if he just kept quiet in this tree and waited out to see the battle's conclusion, he could pick off the victor while they were celebrating over the other's corpse, which seemed to be this new stranger by the looks of things. Wiesel kept watching intently in the tree, deciding today would be a very interesting day still.