"Maybe so, dearie, but which is the right one?" Theora asks grimly, stepping back next to Grimkell and taking aim at one of the balls of light between Mirri and Lars. "And I'd suggest keeping your hands off our friend there unless you want to be next!" she adds sternly, sounding more like an irate grandmother than a genuinely threatening figure.
Theora's arrow shoots through one of the balls of light, but unfortunately her eyes just aren't as sharp as they once were and the ball of light she chose was nothing more than that - a ball of light. The arrow passes right through it to no avail and lands in the snow near Lars' boot.
R3
Lars, Jamarcus, Shor (light blue), Grimkell, Pym (yellow), Zisel, Theora, Mirri,
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It seemed that for now they wouldn't be free of the sea of mayhem that has crashed against their shores; while Lars himself did not fall for the sparkly performance of the sprites his other companions were not as lucky. Of course it was not just their miniature flying foes that they had to deal with, there was an unknown factor in their bubbling pot of a battle; a mysterious woman who claimed to be their ally One thing at a time even if she is lying I doubt these sprites care about that, to them we are all enemies and that-- Lars was brought out of his thoughts thanks to an arrow nearly impaling his foot, he felt like shouting out in annoyance and anger, but decided against it, their opponents didn't have to know how they felt or what they intended, his vague smile was all they needed to see.
"Don't let their little sparkly tricks fool you, there aren't as many of them as they'd like" He gave a measured shout as he eyed the sprite that tried to shield it self behind false images and lashed out with his sword like a viper, going for quick, unpredictable swipes.
Pym 9/9
Lars' blade cuts the winged nuisance deeply, it's blood now dripping down to coat the leaves of the tree and color the snow below. Still, the sturdy sprite carries on.
R3
Lars, Jamarcus, Shor (light blue), Grimkell, Pym (yellow), Zisel, Theora, Mirri,
Jamarcus pauses for a second to fling the gore off his hands before he moves towards Lars and flanks the dancing balls of light.
He clenches both fists together like a club and raises his arms in the air before bringing them down on the tiny sprite.
Shor dance's easily out of Jamarcus' way and then flees to Pym's side.
R3
Lars, Jamarcus, Shor (light blue), Grimkell, Pym (yellow), Zisel, Theora, Mirri,
Countless fighting instructors around the world cautioned against giving your back to your opponent. Lars never had any of those fancy masters at arms, but he doubted he'd need them for something as common and simple as it's easier to stab them in the back.
Snow was left with yet another boot mark as Lars stepped in the way of the sprite, his toothy grin appearing quite dreadful with him holding up the sword; almost like looking at a madman prior to him bringing his weapon down on you.
Mirri, crossbow now ready, lines up a shot and fires at one of the creatures.
Grimkell finally closes the gap between him and the area now filled with light. In the heat of battle, he does not wonder long what the lights might or where the sprite might be hiding, instead he focuses on to the stranger's comment: that the ligths are only an illusion. Hoping that the woman is right, Grimkell strikes multiple time through the illusion, hoping to end it all.
Grimkell's blade passes through the ball of light, doing absolutely nothing.
R3
Lars, Jamarcus, Shor (light blue), Grimkell, Pym (yellow), Zisel, Theora, Mirri,
Aw shiet, where YOU goin' lil' man?
As the tiny figure darts past Jamarcus, the big man stands his ground and lashes out with a left hook, trying to intercept the creature mid-escape.
Jarmacus' swing lands a blow on the sprite, indeed helping it along on it's path of retreat but not without doing damage first.
A group of the lights slide and shift around before another arrow comes whizzing past Grimkell.
R3
Lars, Jamarcus, Shor (light blue), Grimkell, Pym (yellow), Zisel, Theora, Mirri,
Zisel looks around, not sure what to do. As she moves in towards the remaining little buggers, she tries to pull a branch free to throw at them, but is unable to break anything off. In a last ditch effort, she points a finger at one of the fey pests and sends a blast of ice hurling towards it.
With all the illusions hiding the actual targets, Zisel was unable to get a good aim and sends the blast sailing into the trees instead.
"Anyone got a butterfly net?" she grumbled bitterly.
"An excellent blow, Jamarcus!" Theora exclaims, taking aim at where she thought she saw the strange man's target go. The cold iron arrow whizzes through the air, sailing harmlessly over the heads of the party and sinking into the snow.
The party is all well aware now that the sprites are using light as a distraction, not all of the glowing orbs are actually foes... yet still it is a damn good distraction! A few having been able to pin down which light was sprite and which was magic, are now unsure which is which after the globes have moved around some more.
R3
Lars, Jamarcus, Shor (light blue), Grimkell, Pym (yellow), Zisel, Theora, Mirri,
Like a loosed arrow, Lars moved to intercept the fleeing sprite, the tip of his sword drawing a line along the snow adjacent to the deep footsteps he left behind him. His unreadable blue eyes and enigmatic toothy smile were soon facing of the tiny combatant, and before it could react a wild ascending diagonal swing of Lars' sword cut through the air to meet it's flesh.
The poor little sprite now lays in two pieces, blood splatter decorates the snow and a pool of the fluid is rapidly spreading across the white surface. The lights that surrounded Shor wink out of existence.
R3
Lars, Jamarcus, Grimkell, Pym (yellow), Zisel, Theora, Mirri,
The poor little sprite now lays in two pieces, blood splatter decorates the snow and a pool of the fluid is rapidly spreading across the white surface. The lights that surrounded Shor wink out of existence.
R3
Lars, Jamarcus, Grimkell, Pym (yellow), Zisel, Theora, Mirri,
In the heat of combat, Jamarcus comes up with an idea. He runs forward towards the last cloud of fluttering lights, past the bared swords and drawn bows of his party-mates, while waving his arms and shouting:
Stop shootin! Jus' one left, lets catch em' and see if they saw anyone come by!
In position by the cloud, he squints at the lights to distinguish the sprite and swipes his hand out to grab the tiny humanoid.
Grimkell, about to slash again at the balls of light stays his hand, stopped in his track by Jamarcus' shout.
"Fine!" he shouts back. "Surrendier now! Your friends are down, you have no change of beating us! No need to throw you life away!" he continues toward the glowing orbs.
The orbs are merely lights, insentient, they cannot be intimidated. The sprite, on the other hand stops squirming, kicking, biting, and screeching in Jamarcus' grasp.
A haunting silence possessed the forest, but was quickly shattered when a slightly strong wind ran through the area, rattling the hung fetishes. The battle that took place here left nothing but to splashes of blood on the white canvas, several deep boot prints and a few arrows embedded partially into the snow covered earth. Still Lars' blade did not embrace it's sheath, it shone with what little light that passed through the leafy canopy, as the once smiling combatant cut the distance between himself and the mysterious woman by a short distance, he grinned at their guest, a grin that was as meaningless and vague as the one he gave the sprites.
"Jamarcus, that's an excellent idea, and an even more excellent catch" He said to his companion, his blue eyes still studying the stranger among them.
Moments passed but the former raider of the sea had no words to say, he simply continued watching the pale woman, and his smile? Still frozen on his face, unchanging in value or size.
Zisel watched as the one man with the strangest accent she had ever heard grabbed the tiny little beast and clung to it as it threw a temper tantrum, biting and clawing at the big fingers wrapped around it. She gave a smile, finding it more than a little adorable before noticing the man with a drawn blade edging towards her. Maybe she had aided the wrong side...
With a light, trackless step, Zisel moved across the snow and away from the man who was advancing on her; on snowy terrain, she was unrivaled in speed. For every step he took to try to close the gap, she darted away, unwilling to allow a stranger with a weapon come at her. As the man approached, she could make out the meaningless smile plastered across his face. She had seen something like that before.
"Call your simpleton off!" she called to the rest of the group. "I mean you no harm."
There had been a babe who was left in the snow back home, abandoned by his mother and left to die in the harsh cold of Irrisen. Some ulfen hunter had found the babe, took him in and raised him like his own. But brain damage sustained from the cold had claimed his mind as the frost bite had claimed his ears. He never was quite right. That poor lad had the same unwitting smile plastered all over his face, too.
"I'm looking for help. I was attacked by bandits; they had another woman with them as a captive. I just need someone to point the way to the nearest town so I may find aid."
Mirri slings the crossbow back over her shoulder and turns her attention to the new woman. The request to call of the simpleton didn't seem like it would go over so well so the winter elf woman decided maybe she should intervene, "He's not a simpleton, though I haven't seen him react like this before. If you're that worried I wouldn't have insulted him. If what you say is true then you're in luck,if it isn't then I doubt I can help you. Who are you?"
A small chortle left Lars, but then it turned into a full blown laugh "Ah simpleton, I've been called many things but simpleton? It'll make for a good story at the local tavern" Lars kept track of the woman, he was impressed by her speed and ease of maneuverability across the snow but she'd have to try harder to escape his gaze.
"Speaking of stories" He licked at his right canine "I've heard yours many times...it wasn't bandits in the versions I've heard of course but you could say that they ran in the same circles" Lars let his shield move away from his forearm with a few shifts of his fingers.
Once more Lars allowed the phantom of silence to come between them, leaving that grin of his untouched, he didn't know if she was telling the truth or not but he preferred to be paranoid and wrong than courteous and dead.
"Oh and for your information sweetling I don't get called off, so hope I either get bored of looking at you or trust you" Spoke the former pirate almost without warning "Whatever comes first"
Zisel raises an eyebrow at the man then shakes her head, ignoring him and turning her attentions to the elf, a snow elf if she guessed right, who had put away her weapon. If the man thought to rattle her with stares, he was going to have a hard time of it; she had gotten used to such looks long ago.
"Now you have some sense," she said to the elf. From a little sheath on her belt she draws a dagger and drops it pointedly into the snow at her feet. "Words are better said without steel pointed at one another. I am Zisel Nordstrom. It's a sad day when a man with the advantage of numbers feels the need to advance upon a lone woman seeking help with his sword drawn and the intent of catching her. Particularly after she did what she could to aid them first."
Perhaps not a simpleton, she thought to herself, not entirely convince he wasn't at least a bit touched, but a man with no common sense or an ounce of manners and decency.
She glanced about the rest of the group, wary of anyone else trying to point weapons at her. "I mean what I say; all I wish is for directions to the next town so I may recruit help to rescue that woman, and perhaps finish bandaging myself up. I'd not like to think of what those bandits intend to do with her, but I cannot stand by idly while she may still be saved."
Zisel pulls up her sleeves, revealing a smattering of fresh bruises. "I was lucky.
Mirri nods and replies, "I'm Mirri and it so happens we're all ready on our way to help her." She thiinks a moment then continues, "I suppose you could come with us and help, whether you do or not we can't spare anyone to escort you back."
"It would be an even sadder day if that man fell to a betrayal because he was all too trusting of a woman who had an all too convenient tale and entrance" Replied Lars, his tone of speech calm and courteous for a man addressing someone he had no trust for "Oh and if you are trying to appeal to my sense of honor don't bother I threw it in the sea and never looked back" The tall blond let out a nostalgic sigh, but still kept his eyes on the now supposedly unarmed woman.
"I hope you won't hold a grudge though...you see the day I trust a stranger with a story such as yours is the day I turn into a flock of ravens and fly to where ever I desire" His empty left hand clenched and unclenched "Preferably a warm castle with several smiling beautiful woman and a mountain of gold or two" Another short laugh escaped Lars, for a man who was trying to determine the trustworthiness of someone, he seemed to be rather enjoying himself.
Zisel took a brief moments to glance back the way she came. If they moved swiftly there was some chance they'd eventually catch up. Of course, there was always the matter of whether or not these people were going to slit her throat the moment she got in range.
But, she had escaped one batch of brigands so why not another. If nothing else, it looked as if they would be easy to outrun.
"Very well, thought I do wonder how you are all connected to the woman. Are you traveling companions of hers? Or indebted in some way?" Although the question inquired about the group as a whole, she addressed the question to the snow elf who she had decided was the leader of their little band.
Feeling forgotten by the large folk, Pym begins to struggle in Jamarcus' grasp once more biting his fingers and screeching. "Let me goooooo!"
Grimkell's focus on the sprite barely wavers as he hears Zisel and Lars's conversation. Confident that the blond man can warn them if she eve becomes dangerous, the ulfen makes his way toward Pym and Jamarcus without any worries. There, he looks at the struggling humanoid, his stare hard and cold.
"Why did you harass us? Do you know about the bandits or dady Argentea? Do you know the source of the cold? Why kill the crows?" he says, all in one breath, barely stopping between questions. "Go on, answer!"
"Just doing the right thing, dearie." Retrieving one of her arrows from the snow, Theora answers Zisel's question, tucking the small prize back in her quiver. Sootfeather flap-hops his way up to the changeling's shoulder, watching her cautiously with beady black eyes.
"That poor lass must be cold and scared stiff in her predicament. We're just trying to help her out, bring her somewhere safe. It's what Grandmother would do." Her thin lips set into an odd smile, she stands over Zisel, as if choosing her as a ward. "Don't let Lars bother you too much, alright, dearie? He's suspicious, as we all are, and speaks too lightly of the ravens, but he won't hurt you." A note in her tone seems to suggest he'd be peppered with arrows if he tried.
"Now, Grimkell, why don't you give the poor thing the chance to answer one question at a time, mmm?"
The sprite takes on a defiant look, her small lips pout as she turns her head away from Grimkell. "If I tell you, you will only kill me anyway! Let me go, let me go, let me gooooo!" The sprite resumes kicking, screeching, and biting at Jamarcus' hands. It feels oddly like that time when he was a boy, back home, when he decided to try and catch a bumblebee in his cupped hands. It buzzed loudly, and stung at his hands but he caught that thing and he kept it for a week in a jar before it died.
Finally, she stops fighting and surrenders to her fate. "This is our territory now! You trespassed! We hate you and we hate the crows! We will kill you all, and hang you from trees like the crows."
"We only just met each other a day or so ago, the town sent us to rescue her." Having said all she had to say for now Mirri went to Jamarcus to see the sprite that he caught. She speaks to it with what seems to be respect as she asks it a couple of questions, "Hva hvis jeg ga deg mitt ord vi ville ikke drepe deg, ville du være villig til å svare fagre? Jeg har aldri tenkt å se en av dere i denne regionen, ville du være villig til å fortelle meg hvordan du kom hit?"
"Oh I have much respect for ravens, maybe I'll tell you why the next time we camp" Replied Lars his voice still fairly neutral "And she's right I won't hurt you if turns out you are telling the truth...if you aren't I still will probably won't get the chance to hurt you" He slid his sword back into it's sheath and patted the pommel.
"You see I've learned a thing or two about people who trust others more quickly than I, they tend to take betrayal very personally, me on the other hand not so much...I expect it from most people and that's why if it turns out you were leading us into a trap of some sort my friends here will tear you apart before I sigh and unsheathe my sword again" Another small laugh left the blond's lips, before his face took a neutral and almost bored expression but still his eyes were not removed from the direction of Zisel.
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Startled by the sudden shrill outburst and feeble clawing, Jamarcus brings the sprite to eye level.
Ey lil' dude, cut that s&%! out or you gonna end up like yo' friend here
With the sprites head sticking out of his fist, he points it towards the remnants of the clapped sprite a few feet behind him.
His eyes narrow.
Get what I'm sayin'? Now play nice and talk to the angry white brotha.
Pym sticks her little tongue out at Jamarcus when he threatens her, attempting to scare her by showing her the bodies of her slain brothers. She seems completely unwilling to help at all, that is until Mirri approaches. Pym stills in Jamarcus' hand and watches Mirri with wide eyes. Finally the little sprite says, "Du lukter som hjemme. Hvorfor er du her med disse idioter? Ditt ord vil jeg akseptere, og ingen andre. Fortell brutish menneske som lukter så rart å la meg gå, og jeg vil snakke med deg, søster."
Mirri speaks once more to Pym, "Jeg vil ha ham la deg gå hvis du gir ditt ord til både besvare mine spørsmål og å gjøre oss noe videre skade. I bytte vil jeg gi dere mitt ord på at vi ikke vil skade deg når vår diskusjon er ferdig, så lenge du ikke gjør noe for å skade oss."
With the Pym's agreement to her terms Mirri looks at Jamarcus, "Would you please let her go, she's agreed to answer our questions in exchange for her release and a mutual agreement to do no harm to each other."
Mirri moves to a spot under the crow filled tree and spreads a blanket out to sit on. Having done that she gets out a bit of food and gestures to Pym, "Vennligst lille bli med meg for noe å spise mens vi diskuterer ting." Mirri then looks at the fey creature and says, "Du kan kalle meg Mirri søster, er det noe jeg kan ringe deg ved?" She continues the conversation, "Om hvorfor jeg er med dem, ble jeg bedt om å følge dem og med miljøet her jeg har kunnskap om hvordan de skal overleve det. Jeg tror også jeg ble trukket hit av hva som har forårsaket dette skal skje, en slags trekk fra min stammer hjemmet varierer at narkotika meg hele veien her, og la meg fortelle deg at det ikke var en hyggelig tur." She takes a bite of the food before she continues, "Hva med deg, hvordan kom du hit og hvorfor du angriper oss når vi prøvde å passere gjennom? Vi sannsynligvis ville ha gått deg forbi hadde du ikke brydd oss vet du, jeg beklager at dine følgesvenner måtte lide for det."
You can call me Mirri sister, is there something I can call you by?
As to why I'm with them, I was asked to accompany them and with the environment here I have knowledge of how to survive it. I also believe I was drawn here by the whatever has caused this to happen, a sort of pull from my tribes home range that drug me all the way here, and let me tell you that it wasn't a pleasant trip.
How about you, how did you get here and why did you attack us when we tried to pass through? We likely would have passed you by had you not bothered us you know, I'm sorry that your companions had to suffer for it.
The sprite nods her tiny little head and says, "Du har mitt ord, på min ære."
Jamarcus' jaw drops as Mirri starts what appears to be a civil conversation with the sprite in some alien tongue.
Eyes nearly rolling out of his head, he opens his fist and blows the sprite off with a not-so-gentle breath.
He turns around and makes his way towards Lars, picking up some snow to scrub the offal from his hands. Pausing for a second, he takes the small keg from his rucksack, uncorks it, takes a pull, and offers it to Lars.
Ey brotha, you got any idea what's goin' on here?
The sprite struggles to keep from falling directly to the snow, it appears her wings were damaged by Jamarcus' grip. She just barely manages to grab a hold of Mirri's hair and pull herself up onto Mirri's shoulder. Standing tall, with arms crossed over her chest, she turns back to look at Jamarcus and sticks her little tongue out at him again.
Content in Mirri's presence, Pym allows herself to be taken to the picnic Mirri has laid out and sits with the elf, accepting small bites of Mirri's food, which she mostly finds unpalatable.
"Jeg er Pym. Broren min var Vosi og Shor."
Pym nods sagely, "Det var samtalen av hjem som du følte trekke deg, søster."
Pym looks at Mirri in confusion for a minute before responding, "Det er måten. Vi forsvarer ut territorium fra inntrengere og beskytte våre hjem."
Mirri listens to the sprites words before responding, "Jeg antar at jeg burde har visst at svaret på angrepet, og jeg beklager om døden av dine brødre. Som for samtalen hjem, var jeg allerede i mitt hjem rekkevidde når jeg følte det trekke, er noe veldig galt for at dette skal skje her, er det mye å langt i sør til å være denne kalde, spesielt på denne tiden av året." She notices the sprites dislike of the food, "Jeg beklager at maten ikke appellerer til deg, det er alt jeg har skjønt," she looks at the damaged wings and continues, "Jeg er også lei meg for skadet vinge."
She considers a moment and asks, "Hva brakte deg og dine søsken her, og hvordan kom du hit?" After listening to Pym's reply she asks, "Har du sett en gruppe menn som tar en stjålet kvinne med dem gjennom dette området, og vil du være villig til å hjelpe oss å finne og redde henne? Vi kunne bruke din hjelp i denne gratis ett og i bytte vil jeg hjelpe deg å overleve inntil vinge er leget. Det er ikke ofte jeg har en sjanse til å snakke med en av dine folk, og jeg vil ikke at du skal dø på grunn av denne skaden. Vil du hjelpe oss?"
I'm sorry the food doesn't appeal to you, it's all I have though.
I'm also sorry for your damaged wing.
What brought you and your siblings here, and how did you get here?
Have you seen a group of men taking a stolen woman with them through this area, and would you be willing to help us find and save her? We could use your help in this free one and in exchange I will help you survive until your wing is healed. It's not often I have a chance to speak with one of your people, and I wouldn't want you to die because of this injury. Will you help us?
Pym quietly studies Mirri for a moment before looking around at the group she travels with. Her linger on the crow that sits atop Theora's staff, animosity evident on her face. Her eyes stop on to Zisel and Pym nods to herself.
"Izoze vil bli veldig sint på meg. Min brors er døde, skjønt, og jeg har ikke klart å beskytte lander vi tok. Jeg vil ikke svikte igjen. Jeg skal bo med Mirri og beskytte henne og den andre søsteren fra forræderi av dem de reiser med, og noen som krysser deres veier."
She is quiet in thought for a moment before saying, "Vi fikk i oppdrag med speiding nytt land. Vi ble fortalt at vi ville være i stand til å velge nytt territorium i det nye landet. Vi så og vi fortalte Izoze hva vi så."
Having made her decision and fully expecting it to not be debated, Pym leans back on the blanket propped on her hands with her legs stretched out in front of her. She speaks with confidence, "Izoze la henne pet mennesker tar kvinnen. Jeg vet ikke hvor de tok henne. Jeg vet ikke hvorfor Mirri ønsker å redde mennesker, men jeg vil hjelpe henne."
-----
Mirri appears to be having a peaceful conversation with the sprite that not too long ago was shooting arrows at all of you. From time to time you see the sprite look up at you, examining you much like you would examine an insect. It is clear, that for the most part, the sprite thinks very little of the group's existence - the exceptions being Sootfeather who she clearly does not like at all, and Zisel who she looks at the same as she is looking at Mirri.
Mirri gives Zisel a more intrigued look after Pym's words. Thinking on how well the strange woman moved through the snow she realizes that she should have realized there was something up already. It's Zisel's secret to keep, I have no right to expose her without good reason. Mirri looks at the little sprite and says, in common this time, "Then join us you shall sister of winter, I just ask that you leave the bird alone, he is dear to Theora there and I'm sure he won't bother you." Mirri holds her hand out palm up for Pym to step onto and then raises her hand to her shoulder so Pym can perch there. Mirri then begins putting up her blanket as she relays what she's learned to the rest of the group, excluding what Pym said about Zisel.