Fantasy Of Nobles & Knights

[Daft Monk]

Errendor was a world vast and exotic in nature, every inch of it holding tales to be told, quests to be found and new terrain to be explored, whether you were a dweller of land, sea or sky. Wildlife was abundant almost everywhere one went with the exception of the continent of Zaefaun, and there was plenty of diversity of race just as well. Though such did not serve to make the world perfect. After all, with such abundance in life, there was equal abundance in death. And with so much diversity, there were equal amounts of hate.

Most importantly, with so many animals? There were also many monsters. Naturally, they came in many shapes and sizes, as all things do. Each had their preferred habitat as well, making their homes where they knew they would be advantageous against any potential prey.

With that in mind, each nation knew its limits. Each person adapted to their whereabouts, knew which nooks and crannies were safe and what areas were better off avoided. However, such was not to say that there were not peoples who rebelled, choosing to make their homes in areas that others saw as less than savory. One of the few somewhat well known cases of these people that made their homes away from society were the ancient tribes that made their home in Wolves' Den Woods; a thick forest that was notorious for being nigh-impossible to navigate. The sole exception was the tribes within, who had made their homes there for centuries.

Little did they know that something new had arrived in the forest.

"...Oh, this is not good. Not. Good. Alig mahr-"

Running. She was running, her dainty bare feet pounding against the ground with as much speed as she could muster. Twigs and fallen branches from the great surrounding trees snapped under her feet, her cloak billowing behind her as she tried her best to put a distance between herself and the... Goodness, how was she even to describe what she had encountered mere moments ago? A beast, of some manner, vast in girth. It stood like a human would, but comparing it to a human in any other way was impossible. A better comparison would be a black hole.

Inwardly, she groaned. How was she supposed to fight a beast that was best described as a shadowy void? It was a completely ludicrous concept, but she was well aware that it was virtually her only option. It was obvious that the thing wasn't ceasing pursuing her, so she'd just have to try to either defeat it or at least slow it down.

Whirling around on her heel, the maiden mumbled some sort of complaint under her breath before shifting her feet to take on a better stance, her left hand reaching to trace her pointer and middle finger over the blade of the dagger she gripped tightly in her right. As she did so, small runes appeared on the blade, a faint blue light framing its edges. A serious expression came to her face as the glowing crimson eyes of the beast she was to face poked out of the brush, a low screech akin to that of nails on chalkboard filled the air. "Alright then... Davish azen ekkar; se-- aaaaaaaahwaitno--!"

Protest all but lost to the wind, the young woman let out a yelp as her attack shot off all too soon and without grace or control, the recoil sending her flying backward into the base of a tree with a hefty thud. What had been intended to be a smooth, straight-cut streak of lightning had quite literally blown up in the caster's face. The only sign her attack had even hit was the ungodly screech let out by the creature, leading the girl to drop her blade and slam her hands against her ears in a desperate attempt to fight off the sound.

"N-nng..." How on Earth could something with no apparent mouth make such a horrendous sound??? No matter. Gritting her teeth, the girl reluctantly removed her hands from her ears, grimacing as she grabbed her blade and staggered to her feet. Still, determination coursed through her blood, and a frown befell her lips as she pointed her dagger at the creature once more. "Ah... B-beast of shadows! As a humble servant of Andor, Tamarion and Amara... I must implore you to surrender yourself this instant, so that you may be tried by the-- ahhhh no you don't!"

Dazed as she was from the backfire of her casting, the daughter of the Sapphire Moon was not a complete fool. When flames of darkness roared to life from the ground between her and the beast, she was not ill prepared. Nimbly, she rolled to the side, not intending to be easily stricken down. Without a moment of hesitation, her left hand shot out toward the creature, her voice ringing loud and clear. "Fenris bahar ao'froctic!"

Contrary to her last spell, this one went according to plan. A familiar sensation of cold filled her arm as the wind in the area began to grow violent, ripping the hood that concealed her face away and tugging at her long blonde hair. The sound of leaves rustling was overwhelming, but even that did not compare to the howl that split the air as the wind contorted into the form of a wolf of air and frost in front of the girl. While this spell was offensive, it was also nifty as a warning signal. Perhaps she could gain the attention of one of the neighboring tribes in the same motion. But for now, she was satisfied with just the fact that the breath of the frost wolf spell had worked, and was now lunging to sink its teeth into the beast of shadow.

And much to her relief, it appeared that despite the fact that the creature looked like a living void, it was a physical thing that could take damage. Unfortunately, her spell wasn't going to last forever. More than that, she had no guarantee her magics would cooperate, and a single dagger was hardly enough to fend for herself with... Where had Fenris gone? He certainly would have been a help, if only to buy her time while she tried to work out the kinks with her magic.

This was not looking good.

Schnee Corp Lawyer​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Errendor was a world vast and exotic in nature, every inch of it holding tales to be told, quests to be found and new terrain to be explored, whether you were a dweller of land, sea or sky. Wildlife was abundant almost everywhere one went with the exception of the continent of Zaefaun, and there was plenty of diversity of race just as well. Though such did not serve to make the world perfect. After all, with such abundance in life, there was equal abundance in death. And with so much diversity, there were equal amounts of hate.

Most importantly, with so many animals? There were also many monsters. Naturally, they came in many shapes and sizes, as all things do. Each had their preferred habitat as well, making their homes where they knew they would be advantageous against any potential prey.

With that in mind, each nation knew its limits. Each person adapted to their whereabouts, knew which nooks and crannies were safe and what areas were better off avoided. However, such was not to say that there were not peoples who rebelled, choosing to make their homes in areas that others saw as less than savory. One of the few somewhat well known cases of these people that made their homes away from society were the ancient tribes that made their home in Wolves' Den Woods; a thick forest that was notorious for being nigh-impossible to navigate. The sole exception was the tribes within, who had made their homes there for centuries.

Little did they know that something new had arrived in the forest.

"...Oh, this is not good. Not. Good. Alig mahr-"

Running. She was running, her dainty bare feet pounding against the ground with as much speed as she could muster. Twigs and fallen branches from the great surrounding trees snapped under her feet, her cloak billowing behind her as she tried her best to put a distance between herself and the... Goodness, how was she even to describe what she had encountered mere moments ago? A beast, of some manner, vast in girth. It stood like a human would, but comparing it to a human in any other way was impossible. A better comparison would be a black hole.

Inwardly, she groaned. How was she supposed to fight a beast that was best described as a shadowy void? It was a completely ludicrous concept, but she was well aware that it was virtually her only option. It was obvious that the thing wasn't ceasing pursuing her, so she'd just have to try to either defeat it or at least slow it down.

Whirling around on her heel, the maiden mumbled some sort of complaint under her breath before shifting her feet to take on a better stance, her left hand reaching to trace her pointer and middle finger over the blade of the dagger she gripped tightly in her right. As she did so, small runes appeared on the blade, a faint blue light framing its edges. A serious expression came to her face as the glowing crimson eyes of the beast she was to face poked out of the brush, a low screech akin to that of nails on chalkboard filled the air. "Alright then... Davish azen ekkar; se-- aaaaaaaahwaitno--!"

Protest all but lost to the wind, the young woman let out a yelp as her attack shot off all too soon and without grace or control, the recoil sending her flying backward into the base of a tree with a hefty thud. What had been intended to be a smooth, straight-cut streak of lightning had quite literally blown up in the caster's face. The only sign her attack had even hit was the ungodly screech let out by the creature, leading the girl to drop her blade and slam her hands against her ears in a desperate attempt to fight off the sound.

"N-nng..." How on Earth could something with no apparent mouth make such a horrendous sound??? No matter. Gritting her teeth, the girl reluctantly removed her hands from her ears, grimacing as she grabbed her blade and staggered to her feet. Still, determination coursed through her blood, and a frown befell her lips as she pointed her dagger at the creature once more. "Ah... B-beast of shadows! As a humble servant of Andor, Tamarion and Amara... I must implore you to surrender yourself this instant, so that you may be tried by the-- ahhhh no you don't!"

Dazed as she was from the backfire of her casting, the daughter of the Sapphire Moon was not a complete fool. When flames of darkness roared to life from the ground between her and the beast, she was not ill prepared. Nimbly, she rolled to the side, not intending to be easily stricken down. Without a moment of hesitation, her left hand shot out toward the creature, her voice ringing loud and clear. "Fenris bahar ao'froctic!"

Contrary to her last spell, this one went according to plan. A familiar sensation of cold filled her arm as the wind in the area began to grow violent, ripping the hood that concealed her face away and tugging at her long blonde hair. The sound of leaves rustling was overwhelming, but even that did not compare to the howl that split the air as the wind contorted into the form of a wolf of air and frost in front of the girl. While this spell was offensive, it was also nifty as a warning signal. Perhaps she could gain the attention of one of the neighboring tribes in the same motion. But for now, she was satisfied with just the fact that the breath of the frost wolf spell had worked, and was now lunging to sink its teeth into the beast of shadow.

And much to her relief, it appeared that despite the fact that the creature looked like a living void, it was a physical thing that could take damage. Unfortunately, her spell wasn't going to last forever. More than that, she had no guarantee her magics would cooperate, and a single dagger was hardly enough to fend for herself with... Where had Fenris gone? He certainly would have been a help, if only to buy her time while she tried to work out the kinks with her magic.

This was not looking good.

Schnee Corp Lawyer​

The Wolves' Den Woods were not the sort of place where law ruled. The closest it got was the tribes, but here amidst the trees, away from the safety that came with numbers, the only rules that applied were two; those of any gods you feared were watching, and the simple commandment that had governed predator and prey since life had sprouted from the earth- Kill or be killed.

Such wasn't the case in the more (supposedly) civilized lands. There were other laws in place, created by humans in a mirror of those commandments given out by gods. Laws that were enforced by courtly bureaucracy and military might. But such things should have had no effect on the world these woods represented. Which was why it appeared as such an anachronism when, hidden by the sounds of flames, wind, and roars, the hoofbeats of a horse finally reached the ears of the girl and questionably existence that was the beasts' hearing appendages.

Moments before a fully armored knight, perhaps the most truly straightforward symbol of the rule of human law in this age, suddenly crashed into the shadowy beast shield first after they leaped off their horse in an attempt to daze it in the midst of its battle with the elemental wolf, followed swiftly by a stab of their sword into its prodigious girth​

 

[Daft Monk]

Okay. Okay. Okay. She could work this out. This wasn't a good day to die; she hadn't even gotten her chance to leave the woods for the first time yet, and it'd be utterly disgraceful if she died before then! Granted, that was severely less important than the matter of what had driven her here in the first place, but still. To each their own and the point was she had duties to uphold before she could let herself die. That left a question at hand that was pretty simple in theory, but seemed a lot more complicated to answer than expected.

How in the heavens' name was she supposed to kill this thing?

While the wolf held it at bay, the blonde thought as hard as she could, thoughts racing almost as quickly as the rhythmic beat of hooves headed her way-- wait. Hooves? That didn't seem quite right. Many animals and creatures resided in the forest, but horses most certainly never came around this place. They were a more domestic animal, far more typical to perhaps the farms outlying the towns a fair ways away from the forest's edge. So what was one doing here, she wondered, piercing blue eyes laced with confusion as she glanced in the direction of the sound.

Only for the horse to burst out of the brush a little too close to her for comfort and then...

"Oh goodness that isn't just a horse--" the female squeaked with surprise, ducking away and finding herself hardly able to look as the stranger leapt into the air at the beast of shadows. Dainty hands covered those glistening blue eyes as she braced herself for the worst, but to her surprise, the only cry she heard came from the beast. Another freakish scream as blade pierced what could barely be considered skin. Hesitantly, the female spread her fingers, peering through them nervously to behold the scene.

Her spell was steadily fading, but had left the otherwise black creature stained with patches of white frost. But more prominently, the knight had sunk their sword deep into the creature, causing a thick black ooze to leak from the wound where one would normally expect blood. However, strangely, despite how deeply the knight stabbed, there was no sign of the end of the blade protruding through the creature's back. Not that it mattered too much; the agonized shrieks and a flare of more of the shadowy flames was signal enough that the attack had done enough damage to throw the thing into a frenzy. Surely it wouldn't be able to last terribly much longer.

For now, though, it was clearly not appreciative of these advances. A clawed shadowy limb flickering with dashes of fire was swung at the knight. It was not a swing made with precision, for the beast was flailing wildly with rage, but it had a good amount of force behind it if it were actually to make its target.

Seeing this occur, the young woman found herself acting before she could really even think about it. Her dagger was brandished and her muscles tensed with readiness, her hand returning to her blade once more even before she found her voice to call out. "Hark, stranger! H-hold the creature at bay, if you will! And please don't move too much, I'd really rather avoid hitting you..." Yeah. That wouldn't exactly be ideal teamwork. Which meant she really, really needed to focus with her next spell. But then again, even that wouldn't give her a full guarantee it would work, given the effects of the Errigh Medis. Still, trying was better than dying, as they say.

...

She wasn't sure anyone had actually ever said that.

Regardless. A shaky breath was taken in, and the young girl willed every last one of the nines to just let this spell go according to plan for once. "Ak les ao ak les; ignis ao ama tsi; se!" A pause, her blade aglow but otherwise nothing appearing to happen. Wariness crept in, and she leered at her dagger before hissing in pain, dropping the dagger almost instantaneously as a string of less than holy phrases fell from her lips. "augmay ala ovnir-- n-nng, a-apologies, stranger. I'm afraid that I won't be able to assist as I had i-intended. Please be careful."​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Okay. Okay. Okay. She could work this out. This wasn't a good day to die; she hadn't even gotten her chance to leave the woods for the first time yet, and it'd be utterly disgraceful if she died before then! Granted, that was severely less important than the matter of what had driven her here in the first place, but still. To each their own and the point was she had duties to uphold before she could let herself die. That left a question at hand that was pretty simple in theory, but seemed a lot more complicated to answer than expected.

How in the heavens' name was she supposed to kill this thing?

While the wolf held it at bay, the blonde thought as hard as she could, thoughts racing almost as quickly as the rhythmic beat of hooves headed her way-- wait. Hooves? That didn't seem quite right. Many animals and creatures resided in the forest, but horses most certainly never came around this place. They were a more domestic animal, far more typical to perhaps the farms outlying the towns a fair ways away from the forest's edge. So what was one doing here, she wondered, piercing blue eyes laced with confusion as she glanced in the direction of the sound.

Only for the horse to burst out of the brush a little too close to her for comfort and then...

"Oh goodness that isn't just a horse--" the female squeaked with surprise, ducking away and finding herself hardly able to look as the stranger leapt into the air at the beast of shadows. Dainty hands covered those glistening blue eyes as she braced herself for the worst, but to her surprise, the only cry she heard came from the beast. Another freakish scream as blade pierced what could barely be considered skin. Hesitantly, the female spread her fingers, peering through them nervously to behold the scene.

Her spell was steadily fading, but had left the otherwise black creature stained with patches of white frost. But more prominently, the knight had sunk their sword deep into the creature, causing a thick black ooze to leak from the wound where one would normally expect blood. However, strangely, despite how deeply the knight stabbed, there was no sign of the end of the blade protruding through the creature's back. Not that it mattered too much; the agonized shrieks and a flare of more of the shadowy flames was signal enough that the attack had done enough damage to throw the thing into a frenzy. Surely it wouldn't be able to last terribly much longer.

For now, though, it was clearly not appreciative of these advances. A clawed shadowy limb flickering with dashes of fire was swung at the knight. It was not a swing made with precision, for the beast was flailing wildly with rage, but it had a good amount of force behind it if it were actually to make its target.

Seeing this occur, the young woman found herself acting before she could really even think about it. Her dagger was brandished and her muscles tensed with readiness, her hand returning to her blade once more even before she found her voice to call out. "Hark, stranger! H-hold the creature at bay, if you will! And please don't move too much, I'd really rather avoid hitting you..." Yeah. That wouldn't exactly be ideal teamwork. Which meant she really, really needed to focus with her next spell. But then again, even that wouldn't give her a full guarantee it would work, given the effects of the Errigh Medis. Still, trying was better than dying, as they say.

...

She wasn't sure anyone had actually ever said that.

Regardless. A shaky breath was taken in, and the young girl willed every last one of the nines to just let this spell go according to plan for once. "Ak les ao ak les; ignis ao ama tsi; se!" A pause, her blade aglow but otherwise nothing appearing to happen. Wariness crept in, and she leered at her dagger before hissing in pain, dropping the dagger almost instantaneously as a string of less than holy phrases fell from her lips. "augmay ala ovnir-- n-nng, a-apologies, stranger. I'm afraid that I won't be able to assist as I had i-intended. Please be careful."​

The knight yanked their blade free and stepped back, just in time to catch the wild swing of its claw straight across their helmed face-

Or rather it would have, had a errant root not cause the knight to tilt backwards and stumble out of its way. Their shield was raised just in time to deflect the next swing over their head, and when the beast sprouted a third claw and slashed it with an unnatural twist of momentum, its hand was caught directly upon the tip of the knight's sword, seeming to swallow it halfway down the blade as it disappeared into the beast's claw. It was ripped out with another dancing step backwards, the black ooze splattered in an arc around the knight as they raised their shield and waited for the beast to make its next move or bleed out from its wounds.

In the midst of all of this, the young heard the heavy thud of hoofsteps approach behind her, and were she to turn, the horse from before was staring at her intently, seemingly unconcerned with its master's current struggle with the beast

 

[Daft Monk]

The knight yanked their blade free and stepped back, just in time to catch the wild swing of its claw straight across their helmed face-

Or rather it would have, had a errant root not cause the knight to tilt backwards and stumble out of its way. Their shield was raised just in time to deflect the next swing over their head, and when the beast sprouted a third claw and slashed it with an unnatural twist of momentum, its hand was caught directly upon the tip of the knight's sword, seeming to swallow it halfway down the blade as it disappeared into the beast's claw. It was ripped out with another dancing step backwards, the black ooze splattered in an arc around the knight as they raised their shield and waited for the beast to make its next move or bleed out from its wounds.

In the midst of all of this, the young heard the heavy thud of hoofsteps approach behind her, and were she to turn, the horse from before was staring at her intently, seemingly unconcerned with its master's current struggle with the beast

While the young woman was struggling with harnessing her magic in the manner she desired, it did not mean she felt any better about her blatantly obvious inability to assist with the issue. In fact, it did the opposite. Being a member of the Occult and a proud vessel of Andor and not being able to properly wield her abilities was absolutely shameful. Especially considering the situation at hand and how helpless she felt in facing it and what was that sound behind her--

"oh goodness hello there friend," the Alishtaar girl greeted the horse speedily, only able to blink with surprise at how close the creature came to her. Not to mention that it was staring at her. Intently. Eyes as full as the moon that was the symbol of Andor, perhaps... Wanting something of her??? That would make sense, actually! And while her magic often didn't follow through, the blonde did pride herself on her way with animals! "Tell me, my Equine friend; do you require something? Are you hungry, mayhaps?" she queried, thoughtfully, momentarily distracted from the altercation. "Dearest me. Perhaps I have-- O-oh!"

There was the gross, sloshing sound of sword slinging strange black ooze through the air, drawing her back to the scene after a long moment.

"...Disgusting."

Evidently, the blonde wasn't the only one distraught by the display, for the monster let out another ungodly howl as what could only be described as its blood was so swiftly removed from its body. But even its voice was losing its edge, and it visibly attempted to sprout another set of arms... only for the stubs to wither and retract right back into its abyssal body. One of the limbs was not so lucky, outright falling off and onto the ground with a sickening splat much to the beast's evident distress.

Enraged as it was, it was clear that the creature was not completely mindless. With a pained hiss, its remaining limbs retracted, and its form began to contort to make itself smaller. It was quite obvious it was making the beginnings of a retreat, though with its injuries, the knight would certainly have an opportunity to stop it and finish it off if they desired.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

While the young woman was struggling with harnessing her magic in the manner she desired, it did not mean she felt any better about her blatantly obvious inability to assist with the issue. In fact, it did the opposite. Being a member of the Occult and a proud vessel of Andor and not being able to properly wield her abilities was absolutely shameful. Especially considering the situation at hand and how helpless she felt in facing it and what was that sound behind her--

"oh goodness hello there friend," the Alishtar girl greeted the horse speedily, only able to blink with surprise at how close the creature came to her. Not to mention that it was staring at her. Intently. Eyes as full as the moon that was the symbol of Andor, perhaps... Wanting something of her??? That would make sense, actually! And while her magic often didn't follow through, the blonde did pride herself on her way with animals! "Tell me, my Equine friend; do you require something? Are you hungry, mayhaps?" she queried, thoughtfully, momentarily distracted from the altercation. "Dearest me. Perhaps I have-- O-oh!"

There was the gross, sloshing sound of sword slinging strange black ooze through the air, drawing her back to the scene after a long moment.

"...Disgusting."

Evidently, the blonde wasn't the only one distraught by the display, for the monster let out another ungodly howl as what could only be described as its blood was so swiftly removed from its body. But even its voice was losing its edge, and it visibly attempted to sprout another set of arms... only for the stubs to wither and retract right back into its abyssal body. One of the limbs was not so lucky, outright falling off and onto the ground with a sickening splat much to the beast's evident distress.

Enraged as it was, it was clear that the creature was not completely mindless. With a pained hiss, its remaining limbs retracted, and its form began to contort to make itself smaller. It was quite obvious it was making the beginnings of a retreat, though with its injuries, the knight would certainly have an opportunity to stop it and finish it off if they desired.​

The horse, strangely enough, did not reply and merely continued to stare at the girl

The knight shuffled forward a few steps with blade resting across the top of her shield, seemingly wary of the beast, before they dashed forward and jabbed into the writhing mass once more.

And again.

And again.

And again, again, again, again, again-

...

When the creature moved no more, the knight calmly stepped backwards and flicked the slurry of ooze off their sword a few times before they started to sheathe it. When the horse that had been eyeballing the girl whinnied, they paused and retracted it once more. They turned towards the girl, sword in hand if not raised as the shield was. The voice was muffled to the point of almost being distorted as the finally spoke their first words.

"Hail, caster. Which gods do you serve, and why do you walk these woods alone?"

Even through the distortion, the edge of suspicion in their polite tone was apparent.

 

[Daft Monk]

The horse, strangely enough, did not reply and merely continued to stare at the girl

The knight shuffled forward a few steps with blade resting across the top of her shield, seemingly wary of the beast, before they dashed forward and jabbed into the writhing mass once more.

And again.

And again.

And again, again, again, again, again-

...

When the creature moved no more, the knight calmly stepped backwards and flicked the slurry of ooze off their sword a few times before they started to sheathe it. When the horse that had been eyeballing the girl whinnied, they paused and retracted it once more. They turned towards the girl, sword in hand if not raised as the shield was. The voice was muffled to the point of almost being distorted as the finally spoke their first words.

"Hail, caster. Which gods do you serve, and why do you walk these woods alone?"

Even through the distortion, the edge of suspicion in their polite tone was apparent.

As the knight began to violently stab the creature over and over again, they would notice that their weapon actually pierced all the way through its hide. Outraged, the creature shrieked and convulsed, attempting to escape its fate but ultimately was incapable of doing so. And so as the life left its body, it almost seemed to melt altogether, the entirety of its being slowly beginning to turn into the same goop that it appeared to bleed. If the knight didn't move quickly away from the spot, they would find the goop pooling around their feet. It wouldn't actually have any negative effect other than that they'd find it very difficult to move.

In any case, the blonde on the scene grimaced at the sight, a faint shudder coursing through her as the adrenaline of running and fighting finally began to leave her body and allow her to actually catch up with everything that had happened. Which, there was... a lot. And she suddenly felt like standing was a lot harder, though she managed to remain so despite the faint quaking of her legs. But the knight and the horse kind of seemed like maybe they weren't monsters that were going to kill her, so that was nice; though, she couldn't be sure, with that strange distorted voice.

Or that greeting.

"...erm, is it not commonplace to ask one's name first thing?" the female inquired, carefully reaching her free hand up to scratch her head thoughtfully. Moments later, she shrugged, apparently dismissing the notion despite it having been a clearly sincere question. "But I should answer your question just as well. I am of the Occult of the Sapphire Moon; humble servant of Andor and Tamarion," she stated, taking to her knee and placing a fist to her chest in a humble bow, stowing her blade just before then. However, hesitance was visible on her face as the second question came around, and she glanced away. Her hand fell away from her chest, instead relocating to awkwardly rub her neck as she attempted to figure out a way to answer the question.

Nothing came. At least, nothing she could put into words; especially not to a stranger. So she did the only thing she could in that situation! "So, where do you hail from, stranger? And what are you doing in these woods...? Surely you're aware they're in-navigable, yes?" the young woman queried, attempting to put on a cheerful front despite the increasingly evident sense of dread rising within her. She slowly rose to her feet, brushing off her cloak with her hands idly, obviously lacking any mistrust toward the knight. But then, as she was brushing herself off, realization hit. "Oh!... Right. Yes. Thank you for that. Erm, assisting me, that is. Much obliged," she sputtered, giving another quick bow of her head. And staying that way. Awkwardly.​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

As the knight began to violently stab the creature over and over again, they would notice that their weapon actually pierced all the way through its hide. Outraged, the creature shrieked and convulsed, attempting to escape its fate but ultimately was incapable of doing so. And so as the life left its body, it almost seemed to melt altogether, the entirety of its being slowly beginning to turn into the same goop that it appeared to bleed. If the knight didn't move quickly away from the spot, they would find the goop pooling around their feet. It wouldn't actually have any negative effect other than that they'd find it very difficult to move.

In any case, the blonde on the scene grimaced at the sight, a faint shudder coursing through her as the adrenaline of running and fighting finally began to leave her body and allow her to actually catch up with everything that had happened. Which, there was... a lot. And she suddenly felt like standing was a lot harder, though she managed to remain so despite the faint quaking of her legs. But the knight and the horse kind of seemed like maybe they weren't monsters that were going to kill her, so that was nice; though, she couldn't be sure, with that strange distorted voice.

Or that greeting.

"...erm, is it not commonplace to ask one's name first thing?" the female inquired, carefully reaching her free hand up to scratch her head thoughtfully. Moments later, she shrugged, apparently dismissing the notion despite it having been a clearly sincere question. "But I should answer your question just as well. I am of the Occult of the Sapphire Moon; humble servant of Andor and Tamarion," she stated, taking to her knee and placing a fist to her chest in a humble bow, stowing her blade just before then. However, hesitance was visible on her face as the second question came around, and she glanced away. Her hand fell away from her chest, instead relocating to awkwardly rub her neck as she attempted to figure out a way to answer the question.

Nothing came. At least, nothing she could put into words; especially not to a stranger. So she did the only thing she could in that situation! "So, where do you hail from, stranger? And what are you doing in these woods...? Surely you're aware they're in-navigable, yes?" the young woman queried, attempting to put on a cheerful front despite the increasingly evident sense of dread rising within her. She slowly rose to her feet, brushing off her cloak with her hands idly, obviously lacking any mistrust toward the knight. But then, as she was brushing herself off, realization hit. "Oh!... Right. Yes. Thank you for that. Erm, assisting me, that is. Much obliged," she sputtered, giving another quick bow of her head. And staying that way. Awkwardly.​

"..You follow the ancient nine?" The knight asked, seemingly surprised. The shield lowered, and the blade was sheathed. The horse made a whinny again, but the knight held up a gauntlet and shook their head as they started to walk forward. "Calm yourself Razor. She is clearly tired, and I've yet to meet a witch who casts with exhaustion as a part of their spells." They began to offer a hand to help the young woman steady herself.

"Apologies for my suspicion miss. These are a dangerous woods, and monsters and their ilk are more than just tooth and claw at times. I am Ser Sauvgarde, of the Lion Monastery. I have my own travels to make but I would be hesitant to leave a maiden such as yourself to traverse these woods alone. In... no shoes." They added, a mix of suspicion and confusion in their voice as they looked down.

 

[Daft Monk]

"..You follow the ancient nine?" The knight asked, seemingly surprised. The shield lowered, and the blade was sheathed. The horse made a whinny again, but the knight held up a gauntlet and shook their head as they started to walk forward. "Calm yourself Razor. She is clearly tired, and I've yet to meet a witch who casts with exhaustion as a part of their spells." They began to offer a hand to help the young woman steady herself.

"Apologies for my suspicion miss. These are a dangerous woods, and monsters and their ilk are more than just tooth and claw at times. I am Ser Sauvgarde, of the Lion Monastery. I have my own travels to make but I would be hesitant to leave a maiden such as yourself to traverse these woods alone. In... no shoes." They added, a mix of suspicion and confusion in their voice as they looked down.

At first, the maiden in question was silent, parting from the bow of her head only to give the knight before her a dumbfounded stare accompanied by a confused tilt of the head for good measure. "The... Ancient Nine?" she repeated slowly, as though the words were foreign to her. "Is that what you outliers call the greats...? How peculiar-- oh goodness me--" Yup the horse appeared to be protesting her presence and it certainly threw her for a loop. Never had she encountered an animal that hadn't liked her. How sad. Nonetheless, she held deep appreciation for the fact that the knight so casually interacted with the creature. She had heard that the outliers were not as kind to their animals, so it was nice to see such a myth proven false.

It was also pretty obvious the offered hand caught her off guard.

"...Oh." There was a pause as she tried to take in all of the things that had been spoken, her brain still attempting to process. "Erm, actually, I can't quite say I'm exhausted. Nor would I call myself a witch, exactly..." she uttered, awkwardly, taking the offered hand with a sheepish smile. "But I suppose that isn't glaringly important right now. Regardless, you needn't apologize, stranger; you have my gratitude both for your assistance in felling that beast and, well." She gestured loosely to the supportive hand. "This."

Awkward small talk aside, the blonde offered a more genuine smile as the knight introduced themselves. "Ah! I see. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ser Sauvgarde. Though, I cannot say I have heard of this... what did you call it? 'Lion Monastery'?" she repeated, hesitantly. "Ah, either way! I must assuage you of your concerns straightaway! You see, that beast you slaughtered was an anomaly! Yes. Rare be it that any monster I find myself unfamiliar with walk these woods!" the maiden stated boldly with a nod of affirmation, except it was completely invalidated by the fact that her legs very obviously momentarily gave out and she almost fell over as a result. Almost. Instead she caught herself with grace and promptly set to resuming her speech.

"I-in any case, I'm certain I can make do on my lonesome, now that that strange creature that there was certainly only one of is out of the way! Yes!" She had absolutely no confidence in this fact. She knew well of her fatal weakness and her lacking defenses. But it felt wrong to ask some stranger to stray from their path to grant her assistance. And yet the brutal need for truthfulness in her heart whispered to her so, telling her what she was doing was wrong and--

"..."

Yup suddenly she was bowing again, releasing the knight's hand to outright take a knee once more, her forced cheerful and confident aura evaporating. In fact, without the forced facade, she looked like she honestly may have been on the urge of tears.

"...IfearmypeopleareinmortalperilandIreallyhaven'tacluewhattodo,wouldyoutrulynotbeopposedtoassistingmeinmyendeavor,fairknight?"

A beat passed. Her obvious feelings of turmoil ebbed slightly, temporarily dampened by two things. First, the knight's words, confusing and strange in nature. Though she knew she was not to make eye contact while making a request of a person, she could not help but to lift her gaze, clearly befuddled. "Sh... shoo.... shoo es?" she echoed, completely butchering the pronunciation of the word as a whole. "I apologize, but I do not know what you speak of." Another moment of confused staring passed before she seemed to realize she was doing so, promptly grew embarrassed, and immediately dropped her head toward the ground again.

"I-I apologize, Ser Sauvgarde! I have failed to even introduce myself before making requests of you. I am Midna, daughter of Tarem and Hala, mishos of the people of the Sapphire Moon. Please forgive my recklessness."​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

At first, the maiden in question was silent, parting from the bow of her head only to give the knight before her a dumbfounded stare accompanied by a confused tilt of the head for good measure. "The... Ancient Nine?" she repeated slowly, as though the words were foreign to her. "Is that what you outliers call the greats...? How peculiar-- oh goodness me--" Yup the horse appeared to be protesting her presence and it certainly threw her for a loop. Never had she encountered an animal that hadn't liked her. How sad. Nonetheless, she held deep appreciation for the fact that the knight so casually interacted with the creature. She had heard that the outliers were not as kind to their animals, so it was nice to see such a myth proven false.

It was also pretty obvious the offered hand caught her off guard.

"...Oh." There was a pause as she tried to take in all of the things that had been spoken, her brain still attempting to process. "Erm, actually, I can't quite say I'm exhausted. Nor would I call myself a witch, exactly..." she uttered, awkwardly, taking the offered hand with a sheepish smile. "But I suppose that isn't glaringly important right now. Regardless, you needn't apologize, stranger; you have my gratitude both for your assistance in felling that beast and, well." She gestured loosely to the supportive hand. "This."

Sauvgarde's eyes could be seen from this distance, a bright green poking past the visor of their helm, and they crinkled with a smile as the knight gave a short bow. Any awkwardness in the situation apparently going entirely over their head as they responded. "no gratitude is required, miss. A knight who ignores a fair maiden in distress would be a foul knight indeed! Are you quite sure that..."

wkward small talk aside, the blonde offered a more genuine smile as the knight introduced themselves. "Ah! I see. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ser Sauvgarde. Though, I cannot say I have heard of this... what did you call it? 'Lion Monastery'?" she repeated, hesitantly. "Ah, either way! I must assuage you of your concerns straightaway! You see, that beast you slaughtered was an anomaly! Yes. Rare be it that any monster I find myself unfamiliar with walk these woods!" the maiden stated boldly with a nod of affirmation, except it was completely invalidated by the fact that her legs very obviously momentarily gave out and she almost fell over as a result. Almost. Instead she caught herself with grace and promptly set to resuming her speech.

"I-in any case, I'm certain I can make do on my lonesome, now that that strange creature that there was certainly only one of is out of the way! Yes!" She had absolutely no confidence in this fact. She knew well of her fatal weakness and her lacking defenses. But it felt wrong to ask some stranger to stray from their path to grant her assistance. And yet the brutal need for truthfulness in her heart whispered to her so, telling her what she was doing was wrong and--

"..."

Yup suddenly she was bowing again, releasing the knight's hand to outright take a knee once more, her forced cheerful and confident aura evaporating. In fact, without the forced facade, she looked like she honestly may have been on the urge of tears.

"...IfearmypeopleareinmortalperilandIreallyhaven'tacluewhattodo,wouldyoutrulynotbeopposedtoassistingmeinmyendeavor,fairknight?"

A beat passed. Her obvious feelings of turmoil ebbed slightly, temporarily dampened by two things. First, the knight's words, confusing and strange in nature. Though she knew she was not to make eye contact while making a request of a person, she could not help but to lift her gaze, clearly befuddled. "Sh... shoo.... shoo es?" she echoed, completely butchering the pronunciation of the word as a whole. "I apologize, but I do not know what you speak of." Another moment of confused staring passed before she seemed to realize she was doing so, promptly grew embarrassed, and immediately dropped her head toward the ground again.

"I-I apologize, Ser Sauvgarde! I have failed to even introduce myself before making requests of you. I am Midna, daughter of Tarem and Hala, mishos of the people of the Sapphire Moon. Please forgive my recklessness."

A look of alarm flashed in their eyes as Midna stumbled, and they were quick to catch her under the shoulder to help steady her as they listened.

"...Please take no offense lady Midna, but it seems that you are under a great burden, and I must stress that these woods are quite dangerous." The said. "I have a task of my own, but I have much time, and if your entire people are in danger, I would be glad to assist in helping them!" They finished with firm enthusiasm, apparently not quite aware that they were at this point still uneccessarily holding the girl steady.

 

[Daft Monk]

Sauvgarde's eyes could be seen from this distance, a bright green poking past the visor of their helm, and they crinkled with a smile as the knight gave a short bow. Any awkwardness in the situation apparently going entirely over their head as they responded. "no gratitude is required, miss. A knight who ignores a fair maiden in distress would be a foul knight indeed! Are you quite sure that..."

A look of alarm flashed in their eyes as Midna stumbled, and they were quick to catch her under the shoulder to help steady her as they listened.

"...Please take no offense lady Midna, but it seems that you are under a great burden, and I must stress that these woods are quite dangerous." The said. "I have a task of my own, but I have much time, and if your entire people are in danger, I would be glad to assist in helping them!" They finished with firm enthusiasm, apparently not quite aware that they were at this point still uneccessarily holding the girl steady.

At least the awkwardness was one that was mutually unnoticed. Especially considering the fact that the female did find the brightness of the knight's eyes extremely interesting, and she accidentally stared for perhaps a moment or two longer than she should have. Not out of any intent to stir any manner of awkwardness between them, but rather because she couldn't recall ever having seen anyone with eyes so green before. It was mesmerizing!

And she had lost her focus. Again. She entirely missed like the entirety of the knight's first response, whatever that stuff about fair maidens and all that had been. Oops.

To be fair, she had also kind of just abruptly dropped to her knees, so that also wasn't really helping. Fortunately, despite the absence of her typical companion, this stranger seemed just as ready to catch her when she fell. Which was mildly alarming, considering her people were not the sort to encourage touch between one another. At least, not until they had undergone either miris agmar or miris aomor, respectively. Which she still was a ways off from. Which made her task at hand feel all the more wrong, almost unbearably so. And she was sidetracking again.

"...I am quite aware these woods are dangerous," she replied after ample pause, unable to ward off a faint pout from her lips. She hadn't meant to stay quiet so long. It was just that she had been so caught off guard by the sudden catching and kind of lost herself in thought whilst just staring at the place of contact. "I do not dispute that fact. However, this is my homeland. I know almost every inch of this forest, save for the dwelling of The Ones' Forsaken, for any sane soul would avoid that place. And in all of my time in these woods, never have I seen one quite like you before this day, so... May I inquire as to how you seem to know of these woods?" She may have come off as slightly rude with her queries, but if she had she was genuinely unaware. Admittedly, all four of the tribes within the woods were rather closed off from society and bound to their own culture; the people of the Sapphire Moon moreso than their three cohabitants.

Granted it really didn't matter to Midna who the knight was, so long as they were willing to assist her in her plight and weren't a monster waiting to eat her. Which seemed increasingly less and less likely, though she did not know if the same could be said for the horse. Blonde hair once again flew behind her as the female bowed her head with gratitude, relief obvious on her features. Even if this strange knight was still keeping physical contact with her and she found it very strange. "I am immensely grateful, knight! However, erm, ah..." A pause as her gaze averted, and she struggled for words.

"I don't suppose you would happen to know the best place to acquire knowledge regarding dervè k'aan would be...?"​

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

"...I am quite aware these woods are dangerous," she replied after ample pause, unable to ward off a faint pout from her lips. She hadn't meant to stay quiet so long. It was just that she had been so caught off guard by the sudden catching and kind of lost herself in thought whilst just staring at the place of contact. "I do not dispute that fact. However, this is my homeland. I know almost every inch of this forest, save for the dwelling of The Ones' Forsaken, for any sane soul would avoid that place. And in all of my time in these woods, never have I seen one quite like you before this day, so... May I inquire as to how you seem to know of these woods?" She may have come off as slightly rude with her queries, but if she had she was genuinely unaware. Admittedly, all four of the tribes within the woods were rather closed off from society and bound to their own culture; the people of the Sapphire Moon moreso than their three cohabitants.​

"Ah! a question that is simple to answer" The knight said with a smile in their tone as they finally stepped back and clasped a mailed hand to their chest with a quiet clang. "I am a knight, but one trained by the monster hunters at the dragon monastery. Ours is an old and noble order, and the lairs and havens of beasts and demons have been drilled into my very soul. This forest being one such place." They added with a glance at their surroundings "Which makes it all the more imperitive that I assist you in your journey from it. My honor would be in tatters if I would leave you to tarry through it alone."
​

Granted it really didn't matter to Midna who the knight was, so long as they were willing to assist her in her plight and weren't a monster waiting to eat her. Which seemed increasingly less and less likely, though she did not know if the same could be said for the horse. Blonde hair once again flew behind her as the female bowed her head with gratitude, relief obvious on her features. Even if this strange knight was still keeping physical contact with her and she found it very strange. "I am immensely grateful, knight! However, erm, ah..." A pause as her gaze averted, and she struggled for words.

"I don't suppose you would happen to know the best place to acquire knowledge regarding dervè k'aan would be...?"

The knight's brow furrowed, and their head cocked to the side. "...I cannot say I am aware of what a.... derva kiann? is, but if it is knowledge you seek, my own destination may very well serve your purpose." They replied after a moment. "I was en route to the capitol of Maedas, and the libraries there are vast. Mayhap there you could find what you seek? It is... a distance from here, so if your people's danger is immediate, then..."

...

"Is whatever that is accosting your people something that I may be able to just, as it is something of a specialty of mine, hunt? or is it something past the reach of the blade?" Sauvgarde asked.