Journey to Hyrule [Pt. 1/Aryll]

[Deleted]

It was rather odd, Marik was able to fall asleep rather quickly though this would prove to be something that he had wished hadn't. His dreams that night were ones of chaos and hope. Immersing himself into his sleep he began to dream about a dark figure, seemingly one who's outline looked very much like himself so Marik immediately assumed that this was in fact him. There was something rather off about this figure however, he had glowing red scar lines all along his body which seemed to give off a rather frightening and dark aura. Troubled by this fact, Marik became confused and began to question whether that figure whom looked so much like him, was really him or not. Marik had not been able to recollect his memories of what had happened before he found himself in the wood less than a full day ago but he had hoped that this dream had nothing to do with his past nor did he wish to be associated with this dark figure. Marik watched as this dark figures power began to grow and grow as if it were some dark seed, spreading its plague as it grew in power, tainting the lands and ultimately bringing the world to its knees with its terrifying power. Scenes shifted through many fights that this figure had to go through to get to it's climax, a battle against it's rival, it's enemy, the one thing that it had wanted to defeat from the very beginning, before everything spiraled out of control. The figure stood over another figure, it's weapon buried in the chest of it's rival as it stood over it's opponents body in victory. A dark grin crossed it's face as the head began to turn backwards as if it were turning to look at Marik himself, merely an on-looker to all of this. The moment Marik's eyes locked with this dark figure Marik suddenly woke up with the feeling that he couldn't breathe. He gasped for air as he grabbed at his chest, a stabbing pain was left over as if he actually had been the one on the ground, stabbed by the figures weapon.

Compa gently floated off of his chest as Marik sat up slowly, catching his breath quietly as to not wake Aryll up. Marik placed both of his hands behind him to prop himself up as he looked around, the sun hadn't yet come up as the land was still cloaked in darkness which made Marik feel slightly uneasy simply due to the rather vivid dream he had just experienced. His eyes drifted over to the fire that had since burnt out, fixing his eyes on the ashes for a moment he let out a soft sigh. Since he was already awake he decided that trying to fall back asleep wouldn't be the best option. He pushed himself up to his feet and bent down, grabbing his sword and cloak, slinging them both on effortlessly. Compa began to float up around Marik's chest level around the room, giving off an emotion of worry about him. Marik picked up the blankets that had been keeping him warm throughout the night, hanging them back up where Aryll had originally gotten them from so as to not leave them on the ground. His eyes shifted over to her, she was sound asleep or at least so it seemed. She looked too comfortable for him to want to wake her up, he wouldn't have known what to say in any case if he had woke her up from her sleep so instead he quietly slipped out of her abode. The early mornings air was crisp and cool though not too cold, dew had formed on the grass and leaves of the woods. Marik stepped out and headed towards a smaller clearing in the woods that had a good look at the horizon, the sun was now just beginning to raise about the horizon, light gently spreading itself across the land. Marik wasn't sure what the day had in store for him but he could certainly be sure that it would prove to be a rather interesting day, a much more interesting day than he could possibly know at that point.

[Aryllia Queensguard]

PUT A SWORD TO MY HEART

AND WATCH ME LIVE

Aryllia's brows furrowed as she turned onto her side, her eyes tightening as she rubbed her face slowly, her blurred vision coming to focus as she looked around her hut slowly. The spot where Marik had been resting was vacant, so she quickly rose, running her hand through her hair as she yawned, stretching a bit before getting up. 

Brushing her hair with the comb on her table, she set it down and slowly exited the hut, looking around to see if Marik was still in sight. Where could he have gone? Had she really been asleep for that long? It didn't look too late, and he had said he wanted to travel with her. She sighed, shaking her head as she slipped on her boots, grabbing her staff and cloak and headed out toward the clearing.

As she continued to walk, she noticed a silhouette in the distance, narrowing her eyes and wondered if it was Marik or not. If it wasn't... then this would be interesting. She walked slowly as they started to come into view, her hand gripping her staff tightly as she took a deep breath, but as she got a closer look... she noticed the fairy again.

It's just him... thankfully. She continued to walk, approaching him slowly as she stood next to him and looked over at him with a slow gaze before turning to view the horizon.

"We should arrive to Hyrule by sunset if we leave within the next hour. We shouldn't run into any bandits or strangers along the way, but I assume you are prepared in case?" she inquired before taking a step forward. "I have some food in my bag for when you get hungry. Just let me know and I'll get it. 

She truly wasn't looking forward to going back to Hyrule. She knew all it would do... well, she was going to get forced into something she didn't want. Argus was getting impatient with her, and if she continued to stall him from what he promised her, it would not end well for her.

Despite the aura she gave off, she wasn't quite as carefree and independent as many thought - she was simply a pawn for a much more powerful guild - one that refused to release her contract until she was either dead or no longer useful. 

It was about that time again for her to check up on them and find out just what it was that hey wanted from her, since she had been away for quite longer than usual. 

She sighed, looking down, trying to hide her troubles from her face as she continued to stride past Marik, walking along the path slowly. She looked into her sachel, pulling out her map, which was marked with ink all over the Lost Woods, where she had traced out several paths that she had made in her experiences to navigate the forest in the past. 

Looking over it carefully, she traced over one of the paths with her finger to find the quickest way out of the woods so that they would travel through the plains. 

"If we travel northwest, we'll reach a clearing where we can exit the forest and reach a main road to head toward the castle," she nodded as she put her hands to her side, striding along. The sun peaked through the trees, warming her skin as she listened to the noises around her, closing her eyes and taking it in. It was the bit of untouched land that no evil dared to invade, as the forest was no friend to a stranger.

She was actually quite relieved that no one had approached her camp before they had left - While she did live alone and did not like the company of others these days, the Heroes of Hyrule had known where her camp was. She was visited from time to time by the Queen, as well as several others, just to see how she was doing, since she would occasionally go to the Temple of Time, just to check on the status of the Master Sword.

Ever since Link had been imprisoned, the blade glowed, indicating that he was no longer in this realm, but the hero was there to take it in arms. If it were to ever stop glowing, it would mean that the cycle was reset, and it was time to lay dormant until a new hero was born.

While she was sure that there would be no hope for rescuing her brother, it brought her a bit of comfort to know that he was still alive, but her visits became less frequent due to the state that Zelda was in. She could barely look her in the eyes, seeing the desperation and guilt that was across her face. It became uncomfortable and she wasn't quite sure how to comfort her. Still, as one of the few people who understood her pain, she felt guilty herself, to not be able to comfort her friend when she was hurting.


840 words.

(\_/)

[Deleted]

Watching the sunrise brought Marik an odd sort of comfort, while his existence seemingly had just started he felt as if he had been in a very dark place for quite some time and he was just now coming out of it, clawing his way though the darkness and into the light. He sat on a rock as he watching the sunrise, his hood was pulled back to expose his head and his sword rested behind him on his hip. Marik gently folded his hands in his lap as he let out a tiny sigh, 'What was that figure...perhaps I should try to talk to Compa, it might know.' Marik thought to himself before shaking the though from his mind, the fairy hadn't said a word to him yet so Marik was a little uneasy about simply striking up a conversation with Compa.

Marik's mind slowly became calm once more as he enjoyed the sunrise in a sort of meditative state which helped him clear his mind. He wondered how long he would be sitting here until Aryll woke up and found him, for a few moment he figured he should head back to the hut so that Aryll didn't think he left her in the night but he figured she was a resourceful girl, she'd find him. The calm breeze swept his hair back and across his face as he let out a soft sigh, turning his head towards Compa who had been floating just to the left of Marik. "Compa, I have a certain feeling about today that may change who I am forever, there is a sort of fear in me about today yet at the same time I am calm and unafraid at the same time...." He spoke with a rhetorical and soft tone.

It was only another hour before Marik could hear the girls footsteps making their way through the grass towards him until she had been standing beside him, looking down at him. As she did so he slowly turned his head to the side and looked up at her as he made eye contact with her for a brief moment before she looked away, towards the sunrise. Marik considered starting some small talk with her, as he was about to speak he was cut off however by her. He was informed that if they were to make it to Hyrule by nightfall then they'd need to leave within the next hour or so, Marik was prepared, he had all his few things already with him. Marik stood up as she spoke, gripping the handle of one of his swords as she spoke of being prepared for bandits just in case. "Yes I will be prepared if something were to happen. I will let you know if I need anything to eat, thank you." He spoke, keeping his somewhat stoic tone down in a soft manner as he spoke to her.

Aryll began to walk away towards the woods as she produced a map, Marik followed closely behind her as she began to walk, making note that me map had a lots of ink on it, markings that she had put down he supposed to help her traverse through the woods, she did seem to know them very well where as he was clueless as to where he was. "Lead the way then, if it weren't for you i'd surely be lost by now." Marik continued to follow Aryll as the two seemingly walked in silence for a good amount of time, it was interesting to him that he was so willing to follow this individual that he had just met not more than a day ago and her willingness to help him out, it was strange yet in a way it comforted him.

The dream that he had that night still bothered him, prodding at the back of his mind with small bits of fear as to what would become of him. It was rather clear to him that he was no ordinary person, it was made clear to him by the way that Aryll had looked at him from the moment they met and of course the mysterious fairy Compa that had been following him around since the moment he woke up yet the fairy hadn't said so much as a single word.

[Aryllia Queensguard]

PUT A SWORD TO MY HEART

AND WATCH ME LIVE

The morning sun warmed her bare skin as she continued to walk, and as the minutes passed, she could recognize the area a bit more clearly. They were much closer to the clearing into the Hyrule Field than she first thought, although time seemed to pass much faster when your mind wandered and you zoned from the world for a bit.

She honestly didn't really know what to say to Marik. The two of them didn't exactly know each other, and Aryllia was not one for starting small talk or making conversation. It was a very uncomfortable situation for her - although had you tried talking to her four years prior, she would have never shut up.

Being a barmaid, it was her job to make everyone feel welcome and to relate to her, and she did just that. She was a people person - someone that was easily trusted and easily to talk to. Because of this, she had an easy understanding of reading the emotions on someone's face.

But not Marik's. There was something strange about him - not just the emotions he portrayed, but the aura he gave off. It was so off putting that even the morning after, she could still feel its displacement. There was just something that was incredibly unwelcoming about his spirit, and for that, she couldn't wait to get to Hyrule sooner. Once he found "whatever he was looking for", they could go their separate ways and she could focus on meeting with the guild.

"We should be approaching Hyrule Field in about an hour or so. Once we reach the end of forest, we'll be able to take the main road toward Castle Town," Aryllia called back, but she immediately stopped, freezing in her position as she immediately whipped her arm out toward Marik to stop him in his tracks--her other arm cradling her staff as her fingers pressed against her lips to signal silence.

There was a sudden shift in the air, a russel in the bushes, and a somewhat offsetting vibe to the forest around them suddenly. If you listened carefully enough to the forest, it would tell you how it was feeling, and sometimes, if there were strangers that were not kind to it, it would speak in the way of danger.

"We have company," Aryllia murmured toward Marik. "Arm yourself."

Aryllia began to step forward quietly and very slowly, looking around as not to attract attention. Her eyes darted from each side of her peripheral vision, keeping tabs on every corner of the forest around her as she gripped her staff tightly, ready for defense.

She wasn't quite sure what to expect - sometimes it was just a wild monster that wandered too far through the forest, other times it was a couple of adventurers who didn't know where they were going. But once in a while, she would run into a couple of bandits, ones that particularly liked to victimize any travelers who were lost or defenseless for traveling a bit too deep into the Lost Woods. 

She hummed to herself very quietly, focusing her energy to try and pinpoint where these strangers may be, but they were very well hidden. Not a single crunching leaf from a misplaced footstep, not even snapping branch or a shaken bush. This is what alarmed her the most - they were skilled in the art of stealth, meaning that this wasn't your average intruder. 

"They seem to be watching very close--" WHIP!

Aryllia's eyes widened as she suddenly ducked, pressing herself against the ground as an arrow immediately made over her head, narrowly missing her as it immediately plucked into a tree along her backside. "MOVE." she shouted as she immediately stepped up and sprinted forward, but was immediately met with a man on a horse who jumped out in front of her.

"Well, well, look at this cute one. She's quick on her feet, eh?" he laughed as several other men slowly surrounded them, some on foot, others also horseback. They were all large, burly men with weapons of all kinds, some snickering as they approached the two.

Aryllia took a deep breath, sighing as she looked over to Marik. "Stealth magic. Of course."

701 words.

(\_/)

[Deleted]

Marik continued to follow Aryll, staying closely on her tail yet giving enough space between the two so that Marik would watch their rear which she lead them, keeping track of what was going on ahead of them. He wondered why such a small girl such as herself would seclude herself out in the wilderness all by herself, he knew that she was fast, most likely as fast as he was though he hand quite seen exactly what she was capable of. He concluded that perhaps something might have happened to her that caused her to be exiled to the woods whether it was a personal exile or simply just her preference. What seemed like an eternity had passed in silence before Aryll had broken it, letting Marik know that they would be approaching the Hyrule fields in roughly an hour at the pace that they were moving. He wasn't quite sure where that was in relation to where they were going but judging by the name it was good progress and that they were relatively close to their destination or so he had hoped.

Suddenly she froze and shot her arm backwards towards him in a motion that signaled that he should stop moving immediately as well as bringing her finger to her lips letting him know not to make a sound as well. Marik was well prepared for this even though moments ago he had been lost in through. "We have company." She said in a quite voice as she told him to arm himself. Both of Marik's hands shot towards his waist, one hand gripping the sword that he openly displayed on his hip while his other hand shot into his cloak, pushing it aside to grab the hilt of his matching sword which he kept concealed within his cloak. It was one of his best assets, a hidden blade, most people did not expect for some random person to have the dexterity and hand-eye coordination to dual wield swords.

Marik took a defensive stance, crouching ever so slightly as he kept his eyes on Aryll for a moment as she began to scour the area with her eyes. After making sure nothing would happen to her in that exact instant he too began to look around, shifting his body sideways in relation to her he was able to survey their flanks and rear. It was clear to him that Aryll had no idea what to expect what the two of them might run into and Marik himself had no idea either, as far as he knew he had never been where they were that very moment before in his life though he was poised and ready for whatever may happen.

It seemed that not a single sound was to be made but Marik could tell that Aryll wasn't simply being over-cautious, she definitely seemed to have heard something or so he would undoubtedly believe it. "They seem to be watching very close-" She said as she cut her own words off as Marik watched her duck to the ground as an arrow whizzed right past her, hitting a tree right behind them. Marik would have reacted but he was able to tell by the angle at which he was standing behind her that he was out of immediate dangers way, he kept his stance steadfast, ready to intercept anything that might come at Aryll.

Aryll shouted out a command to move as she began to sprint forward after getting herself up off the ground only to be stopped by a body on a horse, the body of what seemed to be a bandit just before them. Marik immediately began to glow with a powerful light as he used his most basic ability, Chrono-accel, speeding himself up by using his time magic, causing himself to move even faster than he already was as well as causing his movements to seem blurred making it hard to pinpoint his moves, direction and actions even if someone were to be close to the same level of speed as he was. Marik threw one of his blades at the bandit in front of Aryll that was on the horse, aiming his sword at the mans midsection. Without even a seconds delay he also sprinted forward at full speed and grabbed Aryll by her free hand and pulled her by the hand leading her backwards towards where he had been standing moments ago, pulling her a decent distance away from the bandits so that the two of them had a bit of space.

Marik let go of her hand and then stepped in front of her, putting himself in between her and the man on the horse who had just been struck in the stomach with the sword Marik threw at him. The man reeled in pain though he was lucky as Marik hadn't been aiming at anything vital, merely leaving the bandit with a flesh-wound. "If you're trying to get to her then you'll have to get through me first. I think you'll find me much less cute." Marik spoke in the most resolute tone he could muster, glaring down the Bandit.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Chrono-Accel

RANK: Common

CLASS: Offensive

DURATION/COOLDOWN: 3 post duration/ 2 post cooldown.

DESCRIPTION: Marik uses his innate ability to loosely control time, generally using it in a manner where it only effects a defined space depending upon the level of magic being used. At a common level Marik is only able to manipulate the time directly around his body thus using his body as the medium for this spell. Marik speeds time up for himself which allows him to be able to push himself beyond his physical limitations and causing him to glow with a white outline. Chrono-Accel raises Marik's speed stat by +1 and causes all of his moments to appear blurred as if he were moving much faster than he actually is, due to this effect it also causes Marik to view everything in a much slower speed than normal, allowing him extra time to see and process actions and react to them if he is fast enough.

[Aryllia Queensguard]

PUT A SWORD TO MY HEART

AND WATCH ME LIVE

There was a moment of silence exchanged among the bandits, Marik, and Aryllia as they all stood in a standoff for the time being, but before Aryllia could even react, her face turned slightly in Marik's direction, only to see him bolting forward in a blur of time, suddenly in front of her and making a move on the horseback invader. With eyes wide and a slight gasp released from her lips, her hand was then grasped by her companion as she was then pulled back to where Marik had originally stood.

What kind of magic was that..? she asked herself, still staring in disbelief in what she had seen. He now stood in front of her, commanding for the bandits to get through him before trying to touch her, to which she narrowed her eyes to see the bandit's reaction. Surely she could take care of herself. While they were certainly outnumbered, she knew her way with a weapon. 

She studied the bandits carefully - one with a bow, two with swords, another with a pair of brass gauntlets, and the one on the horse seemed to have a club of some sort. That was good - their weapons did not seem to have magic. At best, their abilities were simply to cloak themselves from being found, or their magic rested in their movement. Still, she couldn't be sure. Their auras gave off a sense of darkness, meaning that most of their magic had been of the shadow. They were not Triforce Holders though - she could sense that much. Their magic came naturally to them, to which she assumed that they were rogue Sheikah.

The bandit on horseback cluctched his wound, growling as he looked to his men to engage as he fell back slightly. "Kill them and take everything they have." he demanded.

"Oh, hell no," Aryllia growled. "Resolute Wind!" she exclaimed as she shot forward, passing Marik as she flipped her staff in front of her. Swinging out, she knocked one of the bandits in the head as he fell backwards, and she turned herself around, facing several others. "Come at me. I dare you."

She then sprinted past the others, twirling around the forest as to gain their attention while Marik could provide with a blow toward one of them. Her attacks, at best, would be non lethal, unless she smashed someone's head in, but killing was not really her thing - she tended to maim to get a message across. She stopped in her tracks as to gain the gazes of the outlaws as she then watched Marik.

"I can keep them busy if you want to take care of them. This staff isn't going to do much of anything aside from give them a headache," she called out to him. The man with the club swung at her then as she ducked down, her leg kicking up into the air and rotating over his neck, sending him down onto the ground as she pressed her foot into his back, her staff then swinging into the stomach of the man with the bow.

Now two of them were on the ground. But they wouldn't be for long if they caught their breath and recollected themselves. Aryllia wiped the bit of sweat off her brow as she took off once more, stepping and weaving around the trees to keep them distracted, and she noticed that the man on horse was suddenly attempting to escape.

"What's wrong, did you underestimate our abilities?" Aryllia smirked as she bolted toward him, jumping forward as she threw her staff into the air as it landed into the base of the bandit's head. He let out a cry in pain as he fell to the side, curling in pain as he was forcefully removed from the horse. Aryllia then approached, grabbing her staff once more as she held it to his head. "Now what do we do with you?"

She looked back to see what Marik might have been up to, seeing as the bandits were now very cautious and aware of their skill in combat. She looked back down at the bandit before her, narrowing her eyes as she then spoke. "So who sent you? Or did you come up with this bright idea all on your own? You have no idea who I am, do you?" 

SPOILER: Click to show

MAGIC TYPE: Wind



NAME: Resolute Wind
RANK: Uncommon

CLASS: Supplementary

DURATION/COOLDOWN: 5 post duration // 3 post cooldown

DESCRIPTION: This ability is used when in combat, or even travel, because it will sharply improve Aryllia's speed and strength. It gives a +1 speed buff and +1 strength buff when in use.

724 words.

(\_/)

[Deleted]

Marik was still glowing with his time magic that he cast on himself as he stood in between Aryll and the bandit that he had just thrown his sword into. The time magic that he cast upon himself was essentially like pressing the fast forward button on himself. Marik was calculating whether he had enough time to also move to grab the sword from out of the stomach of the bandit before he began his retreat or made an effort to attack, Marik was certainly much faster than all of these bandits. While Marik had been doing his quick mental calculations Aryll had been surveying the battle field for them as she quickly made note of the weapons that each of the bandits donned, two swordsmen, one bowman and a gauntlet wielder and of course the bandit leader who had been on the horse the whole time. The bandit leader had been reeling in pain all the while as he suddenly began to bark commands at his subordinates, "Kill them all and take everything they have!" The bandit barked as he glared back at Marik and then shot angry looks at his peers.

Suddenly Marik's attention was detracted from the head bandit and how sword which had been lodged into the mans midsection as he heard the feminine voice that he had been slowly getting use to hearing use a much more angry tone, "Oh hell no!" Marik heard her yell. As he heard this he paused and looked over his shoulder at her briefly to see what exactly it was that she was doing, he wasn't sure whether she had said what she did out of anger at Marik for pushing her into the back-line or whether she simply detested the thought that these bandits were going to try to kill them and take everything that was theirs, meanwhile Compa had been floating high above them the whole time simply watching over them, unable to help just yet. Aryll shot past him as she brought her staff out and ready in front of her and casting some sort of spell upon herself which reminded Marik of his very own spell which caused him to glow. She bashed the bandit who had donned gauntlets on the head knocking him over, Marik couldn't help but think and laugh at the thought that the man should have been more focused on protecting his head than his hands.

Aryll quickly vanished into the woods, assuming that she would be going after that bandit who had been wielding the bow so that he would too distracted to fire any shots at Marik while he himself gave his own help in the fight. Meanwhile Marik had already decided to put his plan into action, sprinting forward at blinding speeds at the leader of the bandit only a fraction of a second behind Aryll charging forward, Marik wasn't exactly a short man so it made it easy for him to sprint right past the horseman and grab his sword from the mans stomach and make it past the horse all in one swift motion. Aryll called out to him as she stopped in her tracks so that she could gain the attention of the bandits who were still confused as to where Marik's exact position was, wondering if the mans was simply just a blur or not. "I can keep them busy if you want to take care of them. This staff isn't going to do much of anything aside from give them a headache," she yelled to him. "Right!," Marik called out as he bolted towards the two swordsman, positioning himself in between them, ready to take on both at the same time now that he had both of his swords in hand again.

As Marik stopped in the middle of them he stood sideways so that he could see both of them out of the corner of his eye's as he held a sword up at each of them, ready to parry any incoming attack that they might throw at him. Marik's head turned ever so slightly back and forth to make more eye contact with each in a revolving manner, looking from one to the other as all three of them locked eyes. Marik's expression was blank, he was focused, this was the most clarity he had been able to find since he was found in the woods yesterday, the heat of battle was surely the place for him. All three of them stood in silence for a brief moment before Marik's lips parted, "Come," he spoke in a plain tone that seemed to be taken as more mocking than if he had actually used a mocking tone with them. Both men charged at him with their swords raised high above their heads though they weren't exactly the same distance apart from Marik so the one of the left would reach him first. 

Marik was ready for it, just as the bandit on the let got within range of Marik, he quickly spun his body around by twisting his right shoulder towards the bandit on the left to preform a spin move around the bandit on the left. Marik's right arm seemed to drop effortlessly as he severed the bandits Achilles tendon which caused him to immediately freeze up and cringe as he began to fall forward. Marik quickly raised his left foot and kicked the bandit in the back which sent him barreling into the bandit that had been to his right moments ago as the two of them fell in a heap on the ground. The uninjured bandit rolled the other bandit off of him as the other was only able to sprawl around on the ground in pain as he clutched his heel, dropping his sword. The other bandit stood up and grabbed for the first bandits sword so that he too was wielding swords in the same manner as Marik.

"You must think you're pretty good huh kid!" The bandit mocked as he tried to put on a rather lame display of how he could wield two swords at once like Marik. "If you think you are ready to take me on, come then." Marik mocked back, he knew he had the upper hand when it came to both speed and swordsmanship on this guy so as long as he was able to dodge attacks instead of having to block them he couldn't possibly be overwhelmed by his opponent even if his opponent was considerably stronger than him in a physical sense. "YOU LITTLE SHIT!" the bandit yelled at him, it was clear that Marik had struck a nerve in his opponent, it was a banter tactic that Marik sometimes resorted to when he knew he could get into his opponents head easily, when fighting with pure rage one if fighting blind thus making it easy to further exploit or even perhaps expose their weak points. The bandit charged at Marik once more in an attempt to perform a cross slash with both swords, one after the other. Marik dodge-rolled the attack, rolling to the right of the bandit as his roll landed him right back on his feet he was now behind the bandit, able to push off the ground. Marik pushed himself off the ground with his blinding speed and performed a cross slash to the bandits back exactly how the bandit had tried to hit him.

The bandit fell to the ground face first and dropped his sword, it appeared as if the bandit had fainted from the instant pain or perhaps he was faking it to avoid having to deal with the immediate embarrassment that Marik had just served him. "That..my friend...is the proper way to perform a double cross-slash." Marik walked right past the bandit on the ground, he made his was over the mess of bandit bodies, most of which were knocked out, none of them dead or at least Marik presumed, he hadn't cut them deep enough to cause them to bleed out or at least he had tried to do so. Marik walked up beside Aryll as she stood over the bandit to question him.

[Aryllia Queensguard]

PUT A SWORD TO MY HEART

AND WATCH ME LIVE

Aryllia had held the bandit in question with her foot, narrowing her eyes in curiosity as she looked over the bandit. He seemed to look over to several of his brethren who were all but able to even fight for themselves at this point. It seemed that Marik had been able to take care of them properly, without having to go to extremes of killing or seriously injuring them. 

As Aryllia had looked over the fallen bandits, she took a deep breath before pressing her foot further into the head of the chief bandity. "Why are you here? What exactly was your plan here?" she snapped, commanding him to speak back. He growled in pain as he took a deep breath, clenching his fists, attempting to move, but the foot was pressed too far - causing a bit of fear that she would try to hurt him if he tried anything too drastic.

He didn't speak right away, but Aryllia pressed harder against his head as he writhed in pain, clenching his fists before finally giving in - "I was sent by Renar!" Aryllia immediately was taken aback, the pressure left by her foot lifted a bit as her eyes widened, her lip quivering slightly in fear.

Why was he trying to send this kind of message? She told him that she would take a while to get back to him. She tried her best to hide her concern as the bandit had said his name, but to no avail. She took a deep breath, pressing her lips together lightly as she closed her eyes, trying to think of a plausible response. What could she possibly say to something like that though without sounding too suspicious? 

"I see," she murmured quietly. "I realize he has his... quarrels with me... but I told him I would return to the city as soon as I can. I understand he is waiting, but he knows that my time between the city and where I generally reside is spaced," she explained.

She didn't want Marik to get involved in all of this. And she had hoped the two of them would separate before she would have to involve herself with a such a repulsive guild, but it seemed that it was inevitable that the secret would come out. She sighed in annoyance as she slowly lifted her foot up from his head, lifting him from the scruff of his shirt and pulling him forward to stand him up. 

"If you try ANYTHING, you will regret it. I simply have a few more questions before you're let off easily," She explained. The man nodded uneasily as she looked over him carefully. She thought over her words carefully as she attempted to play off as coolly as possible. She didn't want Marik to see her uneasiness on the situation.

Truthfully, she was terrified of this guild. Ever since her first encounter, it was clear that they overpowered her easily, and they knew of her secret - that she was the Sage of Light and that the failed hero was her brother - something she wanted to keep hidden for a very long time, until it was but a distant memory and she wouldn't be judged for his failures. 

"Is he angry? What exactly does he want?' she asked as calmly as possible. The man cleared his throat uneasily as he looked down, clearly intimidated by the force that her and Marik had brought upon the table. "He is just a bit impatient. He felt you shouldn't have taken as long as you did to get back to him, especially with the task he has requested upon you. Do you have any leads regarding to what he has asked of you?"

Aryllia sighed, looking away as she then turned to Marik to see if he had been listening or not. She didn't want to get her business involved with him, and she surely wished that he wouldn't ask about it later, but she digressed, turning back to the bandit as she shrugged. "I've investigated it, but not much. I told him I would know when I know. If he has any questions, he can ask me personally, rather than sending his grunts to come after me. I'm on my way to the city, so I would make it a point to drop in and update him on my position," she said with an annoyed tone.

"U-understood," he looked away uneasily. She nodded, pushing him back as he stumbled onto the ground. She turned back to Marik. "So what do we do with him?" she asked in a coy tone.


768 words. 

(\_/)

[Navi]

EXP AND RUPEES EARNED

ARYLLIA =  3034 WORDS
mission difficulty multiplier
-Hard: 3.5x reward amount/2x word per post. 1 EXP earned every 3 words.
amounting to a total of 45,000 RUPEES and 1012 EXP!



THIS TOPIC WILL NOW BE LOCKED. 

template (c) apple of wicked wonderland

[googlefont="Oswald"]