"I agree." Markus said as they began to traverse down this difficult, steep slope. "I don't remember them carrying people off but, it was a hard fight. I probably saw a quarter of it from where I was." He helped her to the next tree down the slope. Whenever one of them needed it, they held onto a safe spot and gripped the other's forearm and hand. About halfway down, a shadow passed overhead.

Markus looked around, and then squinted at the horizon. It looked like there might be some smoke in the distance. He gazed at it for a long bit, and realized there was actually smoke. "Check that out." he said, indicating to the horizon. It looked to be further in, a little south of the where the ruins had been indicated. It seemed like it was about a day's hike away.

Another shadow slipped over them, and it was at that moment they heard a screech that filled their heads with terror. They could now glimpse it as it passed by closer. Scales and claws shined in the sunlight, and Markus knew this was far too large to be a hawk that had simply flown too close. It was a Wyvern, and that became all too plain as it swung by not ten paces above them and let out a shrill roar. It was twenty feet long including the tail, and with a wingspan over twice that length. Its head was an odd mixture between a bird and a Dragon, and its powerful legs were filled with talons meant for gripping and tearing at prey. It screeched again after it passed over next, swooping in closer.

They had about thirty more feet left down the steep slope, before they made it onto some rocky crags that led into the forest. Markus was about four feet behind Valerie, holding onto a thin tree with one arm. "Shit." he said. He unsheathed his sword, but knew he wouldn't be able to do much damage to it if it swooped in to grab one of them. He could hit it with a fireball but...it would need to go slower. "We might have to just jump...I don't have a lot of ideas."@Luminosity

Valerie was a bit taken aback by how far she could see. Admittedly she'd been more focused on the difficult descent than the view. She could make out the smoke, but not what it was coming from. If it was that far in the distance though, it probably wasn't a simple campfire.

Any thought of a day ahead was driven from her mind with the terrible screech of the wyvern that appeared overhead. Valerie immediately ducked as low as she could without losing her balance, her heart instantly pounding in her chest. Apparently they weren't the only ones tracking out here. She didn't bother drawing her sword, instead trying to watch it through the bright sunlight. The forest below would offer them some much needed cover, and a chance to escape.

Without thinking, Valerie tried to proceed down the slope a little more quickly than she was capable of. She slipped, a loose rock coming out from under her boot, and she fell hard on her right side, sliding down several more feet before she could pull herself to a stop. She was still off of her feet when she heard the terrifying screech above her again, and saw the wyvern swooping down straight for her. There was no time to think, and her only reaction was to get out of the way.

She threw herself forward down the slope just as the wyvern touched down, its sharp talons failing to sink into her as it landed. It would remain there just long enough for Markus to make some kind of move to drive it off, but not much more. Valerie meanwhile tumbled harshly down the slope, unable to really protect herself against any of the rocks. The world spun viciously in front of her eyes until she came to a sudden stop at the bottom, and her entire body seemed to ignite in pain. She gasped sharply at the severity of it, trying to get to her feet, but momentarily unable to do so, only making it to her hands and knees.

Markus felt a very cold grip within his chest as he saw the Wyvern swoop in for his adventuring companion. "Valerie!" he cried out. He saw her roll just out of the way, but no matter what that was a rough fall. He thought quickly, letting go of the tree he was holding to and stepping his leading foot on a rock that jutted out of the slope, steadying himself. His free hand punched forward, palm out. He barked a word of power, and a ball of flame erupted from his palm and struck the Wyvern in the side.

The beast cried out in shock and pain, the scales blackened and now bleeding. It let out a few more shrill roars, before weakly flapping its wings and doing its best to fly away, thinking Markus still had more where that came from. He didn't, truthfully. He would need to prepare such a spell again over a few hours, but that was now far beyond his concern. "Hold on! I'll be there in a moment!" he called to her, making his way down the slope as best he could after sheathing his sword. It was rough going, and he nearly slipped, but he was lucky.

It was about another minute before he finally got close enough to the flat ground to leap onto it, his feet slamming onto the rough earth. He found her upright, and fairly bruised next to a large rock big enough to lean against. She seemed to not be seriously hurt, and he sighed with relief. The Swordmage held out a hand for her to grab. "Can you stand?" he asked her. "If you need help walking or need to baby something, tell me now. Don't hide it."@Luminosity

"I'm..." Valerie had been about to tell Markus that she was fine, but that was a fairly detrimental lie, and it wasn't really possible to hide it, either. The only reason she'd been able to make it upright was because of the nearby rock to pull herself up, but she didn't think she'd be able to stand on her own without it. It wasn't any issue with her legs; besides a few dings and bruises, she was okay. The worst hits she'd taken on her left hip, and the right side of her ribs, but she didn't actually think anything was broken. It was just...

"I'm a little shaken. Dizzy, that's all." She'd protected her head as best she could going down, but there was only so much her arms could do. "Just let me lean on you. We should move." She wasn't too proud to ask for the help, especially when faced with something like a wyvern. Taking his hand, Valerie got her weight back on her feet, and with his help balancing, they were able to make it into the relative cover of the forest quickly enough. The wyvern occasionally passed far overhead, possibly still searching for them, but either the fireball from Markus or their relocation had persuaded it to give up the chase for now. Valerie hoped that would be the end of it, but a feeling in her gut knew better.

Once they seemed to be in the clear, they slowed and found a log sturdy enough for Valerie to sit on. Likely they both needed a bit of rest. Valerie tried not to let herself think about how terribly their first encounter with danger had gone, as when she did she ended up feeling not unlike dead weight. She'd offered little of use, and only succeeded in injuring herself on the difficult terrain. But it could have been much worse.

"Where did you learn your magic?" she asked once she'd caught her breath comfortably. She dabbed at a small cut on her cheek with a clean cloth. "That was a pretty handy spell. Did your family have a magical tutor?"

Wordlessly he helped her up, his face stoic. Back on the trail and in Hillglen, he admitted she had caught his interest. Out here though, when they had to get going he wasn't going to treat her any differently than a fellow merc or soldier. He slipped his arm around her back and helped her own arm around his shoulder, and together they made it into the forest proper and moved until they had found the log they could rest on.

He plopped down next to her, letting out a sigh and running his hand through his thick hair as they caught their breaths. The Wyvern looked like it had given up for now, after giving a minimal amount of effort at trying to find them below the tree canopy. "Where did you learn your magic?" she asked once she'd caught her breath comfortably. She dabbed at a small cut on her cheek with a clean cloth. "That was a pretty handy spell. Did you family have a magical tutor?" Markus took his pack off of him and set it down before them both, rummaging through it before he produced a bit of jerky to eat. He handed her some as he spoke.

"After I left my old home, I did a few odd Merc jobs here and there before I was taken in by an Elven tutor, Daelyn Thelen'huron. I paid for the privilege, but after a few months I think he and I got to become friends, if not mentor and pupil at least." he explained, taking a bite out of his jerky and giving her a reassuring smile. She looked like she might need it. He washed his food down with a bit of water. The Swordmage wiped his mouth with his arm in a quick gesture, and continued. "I was there for about two years, I guess until I was your age, and went off on my own again. I didn't learn a lot. Just some swordsman tips, a few spells and a bit of Elvish."

"I guess that was two years ago too. Honestly magic does help a bit, but it might take some time from your sword practice. I mean, it didn't take away much of my time for it because I kinda don't have a life beyond this one but..." he shrugged.
@Luminosity

The jerky came as a welcome distraction while Valerie waited for the pain to subside, even if she wasn't particularly hungry. The conversation was much for the same purpose, although she was curious. She'd just come suddenly much closer to an angry wyvern than she'd ever wanted to, and she still felt a bit jittery from the adrenaline.

"Two years well spent, if you ask me," she said, putting away the cloth. "We probably wouldn't have escaped so well back there without it." Valerie didn't envision any kind of magical training in her own future, but she supposed it would be foolish to rule it out. For the moment she had enough to learn. She laughed a little at Markus's comment about his lack of a life beyond mercenary work. "Well, we'll have to work on that when we get back."

After a few more minutes of rest they started moving again, delving through the thickening forest. It was a bright day, with the sun thankfully piercing through the trees above them. Valerie imagined it would be easy enough to get lost in here without the proper guidance.

"What do you think that smoke we saw came from?" she asked. She figured that would be their first target, assuming they had no more unfortunate encounters with winged creatures.

He was glad to hear his hard work on learning some spells was appreciated, especially by a fellow mercenary. Often time he felt like a very poor wizard rather than a Swordmage in earnest. He knew differently though, and this Swordmage couldn't hide his grin at her remark on when they got back. One more reason why I want to live through this. Though honestly, he was quite excited for what lay before them. He was pragmatic, and he'd like to think he wasn't stupid, but there was a reason he took on this job. No one forced him into it, and it seemed Valerie felt the same way. A passionate sense of adventure and excitement, and knowing by the end of the day that they had survived great odds.

"I'm not sure. Orcs probably." he said to her question, as they began again. "There aren't any people out here... Save mainly some bandits." His last remark was an afterthought, but he realized that very well might be a truth.

They trudged through the ever thickening forest. Branches and leaves making a ubiquitous and oddly shaped roof that shielded them from the majority of the sun. Somehow, it was not so cold in the forest as it should have been, as if the air was thick enough to leave some residual heat for itself. He'd heard tales of deep wilderness like this one, many from his Elven tutor. In the far woods, you could be beglamoured by Nymphs, assailed by Centaurs, meet beasts the size of townhouses, or Elves that were not as forgiving or as accustomed to civilization as his old master.

It seemed their next obstacle wouldn't be nearly as fantastic as these, but dangerous if left unchecked, nevertheless. The two young sellswords first heard a chittering and a barking laughter. Markus held his hand out just in case Valerie had not heard it yet so she would stop to listen, but she probably had. Better to be safe than sorry. Goblins.

The Swordmage crouched, unsheathing his sword as quietly as he could and making his way to the closest bush that was toward the noise. He knelt down and peered through the brush, and he was quite glad he had not been humming an Elven tune a bit ago or they would have been discovered.

At first it was hard to see them with all of this green, for their skin was a sickly and mottled moss green. They were barely waist height and thin, with elongated ears and noses. Their eyes were filled with malice and a cruel cunning, however. Their hands gripped spears and jagged scimitars, and they chatting among each other in what looked like a small meeting. There were 7 of them in all, it seemed, standing at the center of the next clearing. Two of them prodded each other with their devilish fingers at the side of the meeting, clearly on opposing sides of whatever was going on.
@Luminosity

Valerie would gladly take on bandits at the moment, if it meant avoiding another run-in with a wyvern. Of course, the reality of it was that they would probably run into them both, considering the poor luck they'd started out with. And any bandits surviving out here would no doubt be of a tougher stock than the kind Valerie had dealt with in the past.

She kept close as they moved through the forest, the thickening foliage providing her with yet another obstacle should a fight come about. Valerie still needed a great deal of practice maneuvering in these sorts of environments to be able to do it efficiently, or quietly. With focus at least she could avoid snapping every wayward branch and crunching every pile of fallen leaves. It would have to do.

The sound of the goblins reached her ears easily enough, as the mood on their walk had been far more tense than when they started out, with good reason. She crouched beside Markus, finding an opening in the brush big enough to see through and observe the foe. The goblins were hardly as imposing as orcs, but they had a significant numbers advantage, and those wicked spears and blades could wound or kill easily enough. Valerie didn't much like the idea of attacking them head on. She supposed they could go around, but their odds of sneaking by didn't seem too favorable either.

"Can we manipulate them somehow?" she asked, whispered as quietly as she could. "Turn them on one another, to whittle them down?" They didn't seem to like each other too much, from what she could tell, and they were obviously prone to violence. How to stir up a fight between them, she didn't know. Maybe just waiting would do the trick. "Whatever you want to do, I'm with you. I'll follow your lead."

Markus heard Valerie's suggestion, and began to attempt to figure a way they could do that. His mind whirled with possibilities, but at the end he decided that he wouldn't be able to think of anything on the fly. He shook his head. "Whatever you want to do, I'm with you. I'll follow your lead." she said. He gave her a nod, his eyes steeled. He leaned in even closer, giving a whisper. His gaze had not left the Goblins. "I think the best shot we have is to maximize the element of surprise." he told her, his words barely audible.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, and this time looked her in the eyes. "When I give the word, attack the Goblins on the right. They've no armor. Thrust quickly, and you can have two dead before the third realizes what's happened. I'll go left." He waited for her to confirm, and then he looked back at the diminutive creatures before them. He squeezed her shoulder one last time, before his hand slipped off and grabbed the sheath of his sword for a two handed grip.

Past the bushes, they prodded one another with words and fingers. Chittering and barking at one another in their cruel and alien language. Markus had learned a bit of Orc, but most of the Goblin language eluded him. They spoke too quickly and used too many guttural squeaks to be coherent to him.

Just that second, one of the Goblins poked another a bit too hard. The other did not take too kindly to that and slapped him. It would be comical if the two sellswords weren't about to jump into the fray. Suddenly, the slapped Goblin tackled the other. The other Goblins gathered around to watch and screech, waving their weapons about and threatening to join in. "Now."
@Luminosity

Making good use of surprise did seem like their best bet. Inflict greater wounds than they could recover from before they could react at all. And speed was among Valerie's strongest attributes. She nodded back, grateful for the squeeze on her shoulder. Even against goblins charging into battle was no easy task, but it helped when she was alongside someone she trusted.

Three on the right for her, the other four for him. It was hardly the time to squabble over numbers, and she had to admit she had more confidence in Markus than she did in herself. She studied the three, the first armed with dual daggers, the second a scimitar that a human could've wielded with one hand, but held in two here, and the last with a spear and small wooden shield. Valerie slowly closed her fingers around the hilt of her blade, and waited for Markus to give the word. "Now."

She moved ahead without hesitation, drawing her sword with a ring of steel and rushing at the goblins on the right of the group. They turned and stared in shock for a moment, and that was all Valerie needed to end the first of them, removing his head with a clean slice before she stepped forward to attack the next. They were swift to react, and the second already had his guard up for her when she made her attack. He was not a skilled opponent, though, and a few quick moves opened up his flank for Valerie to plunge her sword into, ending him.

The spear wielding goblin had enough time to line up an attack before Valerie could properly align herself after discarding the second foe. A thrust of the spear came at her, and had she been a moment slower it would have skewered her through the midsection. Instead, she managed to turn it aside just in time. The goblin was surprised at her quick reactions, and failed to get his own shield up in time for her counter. Valerie's thrust might've done the same skewering to a human opponent, but against the goblin her blade pierced through his throat. The creature slowly fell backwards off of her sword, where he lay still.

Just as Valerie leaped out, Markus did likewise. He hit the ground running and booted one of the Goblins on the ground in the chest, cracking its ribs and sending it flying into the closest tree to fall crumpled on the ground. His sword leading with his next step, it clove the nearest Goblin's head in two, the heavy blade chopping through between the mouth and nose. He finished his next step, and two Goblins were already dead.

His dark eyes fell upon the other two, promising more death. They were understandably perturbed, especially because to the side they saw Valerie dispatching the rest of them with practiced efficiency. The last two hefted their weapons however, and came forward. One held a short spear, and the other a scimitar.

The spear wielder gave a thrust forward while the bladed one attempted to hack at Markus' legs. He backpedaled for a moment, before knocking the spear to the ground and stepping onto its haft. The weapon was yanked from the Goblin's grasp. The flat of his blade hit the Scimitar wielding Goblin in the face, staggering it. He passed it by and kicked the spear Goblin. It lay sprawled upon the ground from the force of the blow, and Markus finished it off by stabbing his sword into its small body.

Markus turned, knowing the scimitar wielder wasn’t dead. As he turned, he was met with dirt in his face, flung by the Goblin.
“Ah!” he reacted. Damn it. He slashes his blade in a wide arc to keep it away from him, but once he regained his vision he saw the Goblin fleeing rather than attacking. Once he wiped his face with the back of his sleeve and saw the creature using the opportunity to sprint away fast as it’s stubby legs could carry it, he gave chase. He knew he could catch it. His legs were as long as it’s body.

He gained on it easily, but before he could reach it, the greenskin dived into the bushes. The Swordmage groaned, slowing down only slightly to see if he could get a better view of the thing. Just as he realized how hard it would be to spot a green Goblin among green leaves, a massive...something moved the closest tree canopy with a rumble. He heard a Goblin’s pitiful squeak, and the Sellsword's face went from concentration to shock when he saw an Ogre step out of the tree line. It held something in its meaty left fist, a small Goblin hand sticking out from within its fingers.

It squeezed, and blood began to pour out between its thick fingers.
“Ugh.” Markus uttered, feeling a bit sorry for the Goblin. Plus that would just feel unpleasant in general.
The ten foot tall monstrosity dropped the broken creature onto the ground, and turned its head to regard Markus as the man backed away.
No matter how experienced you were, an Ogre was an intimidating and dangerous adversary.

He eyed the creature as he backed up beside Valerie. This thing might not be able to traverse the forest as easily as they, but right now they were in a small clearing and his legs might just be able to carry him fast enough to catch them. Then again maybe not, but Markus wasn't going to chance it.

He grabbed Valerie's arm. "Look at me." he said. When he had her attention, he spoke quickly. "Act like you're running away. Go into the tree line and go 'round. Keep out of sight. I'll distract it here." His voice was breathless. "Once you're around behind it, slice its hamstrings. Once its on the ground, we can attack it easier."

The Swordmage looked like he wanted to say more to her, his lips parting. But he dismissed it and gave her a light push. "Go."

---

He turned to see the Ogre looking at Valerie hungrily. Hell no. For that, a throwing knife suddenly bloomed upon the Ogre's massive wall of a chest. It roared in agony, and hate filled eyes glared at Markus. That's it, keep your eyes on the prize. He felt like he should say something, but how does one mock an Ogre? Just treat it like you're at a bar fight back home, he told himself.

"By the Gods." he said theatrically, as if noticing for the first time just how hideous the Ogre was. His following tone was casual. He pointed his other throwing knife nonchalantly at the Ogre. "You know, you remind me of my step mother." he told the monster. "Fat, you butt into things you shouldn't, and just ugly as sin." Despite himself, he grinned. He never did grow out of his rebellious sarcasm.

The Ogre was not amused. "Die human!" it cried.
@Luminosity

Valerie had the unpleasant fortune to watch the whole thing unfold. She'd taken two steps to chase after Markus when she noticed the massive movement ahead of him, and saw the ogre emerge, crushing the unlucky goblin in its hand. It nearly turned her stomach, and she took a few unconscious steps backwards, her eyes locked on it. A hundred thoughts ran through her head about what to do, how to fight it, but she expected she would need to jump just to reach anything vital.

Markus suddenly grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. His words didn't make any sense at first. Run... away? Leave him to deal with it by himself? Or rather, try to survive it. No, she wouldn't do that. Part of her stubbornly wanted to refuse, stay there and fight with him, but she had enough awareness even with the thumping footsteps of the ogre to understand the tactic behind the plan. She would have a better chance if the ogre didn't see the flank attack coming.

Still she began to wordlessly protest, but the shove away turned out to be what she needed. Valerie glanced up at the ogre, and then sheathed her sword and ran directly away, back into the thick woods. She didn't go far, only enough to break line of sight, though she imagined the ogre's gaze would be locked on Markus now, given the unpleasant scream and booms of its movement that she could hear.

She made her way around as quickly as she could. Too quickly, it turned out; she wasn't watching her footing well enough, and ended up tripping over a low root, falling forward into the muddy earth. Cursing quietly, she pushed back to her feet and carried on at a more deliberate pace. She tried to get a glimpse of how the fight was going, but couldn't see much. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Only a few moments longer and she would be behind the hideous creature. She hoped she could do what she needed to when she was, for both their sakes.

He knew he needed to keep the Ogre stationary, so he did something that was usually considered foolhardy when fighting an Ogre. He attacked first. As it seethed with rage, he ran at it, blade poised like a striking snake. He wished he had a fireball left, but he'd need to prepare the spell again. Without that, he'd likely knock himself out attempting to conjure another.

The Ogre prepared itself, and swung its massive fist in an uppercut that scraped the ground right as Markus got within range. He barely leaped aside in time, and didn't have the time to hack at the arm. Instead, he continued with his momentum and stabbed the beast in the gut. It wasn't a deep stab, unfortunately. The Ogre rumbled with pain, and even more anger. It attempted to grab Markus. It was all he could do to backpedal, slashing at the fist.

He was a good swordsman, but without his spells (and unless he got lucky), a one on one fight with an Ogre would eventually end up with him being crushed if he kept at it. He spun and cut the monster where he could, dancing back and forth with a leading blade as his Elven tutor taught him. He hoped Valerie would get there soon. The Ogre was getting faster with its movements, having enough of this farce.
@Luminosity

By the time Valerie emerged from the woods her breathing was already strained, but she didn't slow down. She had to cover the distance in front of her, make her attack on the ogre while its back was turned. She kept her sword sheathed as long as she could, knowing the noise would draw its attention. Markus appeared to still be alright, which came as a relief. The ogre was also still strong, despite the cuts her partner had landed on it. Here goes nothing.

When she came in range she pulled her sword from the sheath, making a hard slash up at the ogre's left hamstring, grunting with the effort. The cut normally would've beheaded a human opponent, but instead sliced through the creature's hide easily enough, leaving a bloody wound behind. The ogre roared in agony. In retribution it lashed out with both arms in a wide arc aimed to hit both Markus and Valerie.

Valerie might've been able to duck under it or dodge, but her attention was mistakenly on the other leg. She was in the backswing of her attack when the ogre's forearm hit her across her upper body, tossing her several feet away onto her back. The sky above her spun wildly, at least until her vision was filled with an approaching hand. The ogre had fallen to one knee from the pain, but turned to reach after Valerie.

Unable to rise in time, the ogre's hand closed around her midsection, instantly cutting off her ability to breathe. The pressure tightened, and Valerie felt her back lift off the ground a foot or so. Desperately she stabbed her sword down through the ogre's wrist, the blade piercing clean through it. It had the effect of weakening the grip momentarily and letting her gasp in a needed breath, but it also caused the ogre to slam her back the short distance onto the ground, refusing to let her go.

She writhed and kicked to no avail, out of options except to hope the ogre couldn't crush her in the next few seconds.

His feeling of relief that she had played her part well was cut short when he too was hit by the Ogre. He'd have cursed himself for letting himself be distracted, but his mind was too preoccupied with needing to breathe. The backhand of the Ogre hit him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending the wheezing young man into a fierce roll. He skidded to a stop after a few paces, and tried to rise if his world would simply stop spinning.

No, get up damn it. He placed one hand on the ground, and looked back at the Ogre that had roared in pain not a moment ago. Was Valerie ok? It was only his concentration gained from his magical training that allowed him to focus enough and realize just what was happening moments later. "Get up..." he scolded himself. "Get. up."

He growled at his own weakness, and despite his unsteady gait he got to his feet and charged. He could hear Valerie in pain, and he felt a cold fear in his chest. With a roar, he stabbed his bastard sword into the back of the other Ogre leg. It roared, sending the beast to his knees. It tried to turn, but found Markus' blade sinking deeply into its kidney. Using the blade embedded in the Ogre, Markus took out another throwing knife and stepped onto his sword, leaping up to grab at the Ogre's head.

He stabbed it in the side of the neck, the beast letting Valerie go and feebly trying to stem the flow of blood pumping out of its cut jugular. The Ogre was losing energy and lifeblood fast, and as its world grew dark it began to topple. Unfortunately, it toppled backwards with Markus still on its back. He did his best to pull himself up above the Ogre's head, but the large monster hit the ground, its cannonball head and broad shoulders pinning Markus up to his chest.

The Swordmage had hit the ground and blacked out for a few moments, the last noise he made was him crying out in pain at the pressure before his head hit the earth. He regained consciousness a few moments later, his skull throbbing, and tried feebly to yank himself out from under the monster. He was still quite dizzy though, and a bit weak.
@Luminosity

Her vision was quickly going black, and it felt to Valerie like her entire torso might cave in from the pressure the ogre was putting on her, but just before she could be overwhelmed by it Markus was able to make his move. Valerie was able to rip her sword free from the creature's wrist just as Markus went up to stab at its throat. Finally released, she gasped in one breath after another, rolling onto her side from the coughing and wheezing.

The ground shook and Markus cried out, and despite her breathlessness Valerie forced herself up as best she could. She was dizzy again, this time from lack of oxygen, and stumbled more than once on her way over to the fallen ogre. She feared it might have crushed Markus, but she found him half-pinned underneath it, still intact and just regaining consciousness by the looks of it. The monster was twitching slightly, but soon enough that stopped too, and the ogre was dead.

Valerie fell to her knees at Markus's side, only keeping herself up by pressing her hands against the ground. She reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "We did it," she said, sounding a little surprised. And though they were both banged up, neither was seriously injured. They were either lucky, or more skilled than Valerie gave herself credit for. Still, the clearing wasn't safe, as they had no cover and Valerie wasn't keen on the idea of fighting anything else right now. She managed to get back to her feet, and reluctantly approached the dead ogre's head.

"Come on, we can get you out together. On three." She took hold of the ogre's head from underneath, preparing to lift it up as best she could. "One, two, three!"

Markus opened his eyes and saw Valerie's face upside down, and he gave a weak smile at the fact she was ok. He snapped back into sobriety however when a pain in his leg, his side, and in his head shot through him, and he winced. She did her best to lift up the Ogre head, and he pushed against it as well, while feebly dragging himself out from under the large humanoid. He grunted with each movement, and gave a final tug with his free hand before he let the Ogre head go. It dropped back to the ground like a stone. It would have hit his legs if he didn't curl them at the last moment.

Markus got to his feet, still stiff and in pain, but nothing seemed broken. He gave a chuckle at the scene before them. Seven Goblins and an Ogre dead! He was just about to hug Valerie, before it hit him. "The ears..." he said, and reached down to unsheathe his Elven Knife. He cut a single ear off each Goblin, and the Ogre. He even managed to find an ear of the one the Ogre squished. He stuck them in his pack, and as he strapped the bag closed once more, he nodded to the northeast. "Let's keep going, Val."

They made good time after that, early afternoon growing into late afternoon as the miles passed behind them. As the sun was now sinking (though not quite gone) they found themselves in a less dense area of the forest. It looked a cross between the forest proper, and an area of brambles and varied drops and rises in the ground. For an hour back there, they had heard wolves howling in the background. Perhaps the beasts had picked up the scent of dead Goblin flesh.

They had split up for a moment, to cover more ground and find a good place to hold up for the night. Markus called to Valerie a few minutes into entering this new territory. He waited for her to get there, revealing a drop about six feet in height. After that, a thick canopy and even wall of brambles made what looked to be a makeshift shelter next to a tall Oak that served as its spine. Markus leaped down, holding his sword and pack steady as he did it. He peered into the ubiquitous sticks, brambles, vines, and leaves. Is it hollow? He walked about it, gazing until he saw a way to slip in. He slide inside a slim opening to indeed find a short clearing within.

"Thank the Gods." he said, hands on his hips. "Come on in. We've got some work to do to make this place perfect." He began to go to work, moving the loose sticks that had fallen onto the hard, more barren ground into the center of the clearing. Around them they were protected by brambles and vines, and above them was a rough but thick canopy of similar material, mixed with tree branches. He set a pile of sticks in the center for a fire later, and then roughly climbed up the tree to the right, using his sword to clear a hole above them for smoke to pour out of.

The land was in early spring, and cold even in the daytime. It'd do them well to get close to a fire this night. Less than an hour later, the sun had nearly dipped below the far mountain range, and within this makeshift home they saw even less light than if they were without. The fire had begun early, Markus now boiling water in a small pot he'd brought along. He first boiled the ears, claiming it would preserve them longer and keep diseases off of them so he could bring it back to the bounty collector.

He then began to boil them some dinner after cleaning the pot. Luckily, a small stream was close and they had made a small errand to partake in refilling their canteens, and in filling the pot. "I hope you like steamed ham." he told her, giving her a smile as the youthful mercenary placed the meat into the roiling and bubbling water.

Finally, he let himself rest as the dinner cooked. The fire within the small space made it particularly warm, and almost comfortable. It would indeed be comfortable if there was a nice place to sit, but so far all they could do was use their bedrolls and packs to sit upon. Markus let out a breath, and began to unstrap his armor. The firelight danced along the walls around them, and the bubbling water making a soft noise that would allow someone to easily think this was simply a night in, and not in the dangerous wilderness.

He took off his bracers, and then lifted off his tabard and chainmail, tossing them to the side. The chainmail hit the hard ground with a 'thunk.' He wore his loose fitting trousers and a torn and haggard linen shirt. The steam from the water cleared his senses and made him feel more relaxed, and he gave Valerie a smile as he sat beside her. "You did great today." he told her in all honesty.

His smile was warm and genuine. The young man's hand slipped up to the side of his torso, and he felt a small wound there that stuck. He winced, and Valerie could see a few dots of red along his simple, white linen shirt he wore. He grimaced and lifted his shirt to reveal a jagged cut. Must have been from something as I fell. He shook his head and pressed his hand to the wound. "All apart of the job." It didn't seem serious. Just another scar.
@Luminosity

It was a meager shelter for the night, but Valerie felt it was more than adequate. She was very tired from the day's travel and fights, and she knew she'd be sore tomorrow. They would have no choice but to press on, and a good amount of rest would help with that. She dropped down behind Markus after he gave the all clear, and began work on getting the fire all set up while he cleared a hole for the smoke.

"Steamed ham sounds like a feast right now," she told him. She was famished, her belly grumbling in dissatisfaction every now and then. It seemed to be setting in more now that she could finally relax, and the smell of cooking dinner wafted up to her nose. Valerie distracted herself by removing her gear and getting it in order, starting by unbuckling her sword belt and setting her blade and dagger down next to her bedroll and pack. She untied her breastplate and pulled it away, briefly checking herself for any injuries she hadn't noticed before, but thankfully she found nothing. She could only hope she'd be so lucky in the days to come.

Setting her armor aside as she sat down, she couldn't help but smile at the compliment from Markus, her cheeks flushing slightly red as she gazed into the fire. "Thanks. Though I think we probably shouldn't start keeping score on the times we save each other's lives." Though it was a joke, and Valerie did feel content with how well she'd done, the fight with the ogre had still been a near disaster, in large part she felt due to the ineffectiveness of her flank attack. Still, it was good enough to give Markus an opening.

"We've made a good team so far." It was then she noticed him wince beside her, and saw the small wound on his side. She wasn't able to stop herself from appearing concerned. "Let me take a look at that?" It was in a difficult spot for him to treat, likely the reason he hadn't noticed it until just now. It wasn't serious, but it would be unwise to leave untended.

Once she had a few of her medical supplies Valerie settled down on her knees beside him. "Hold your shirt up." She began cleaning and tending to the wound. She was no healer or doctor, but any adventurer hoping to live more than a few weeks on the road needed to know how to treat minor wounds like this.

Valerie brushed a strand of hair from her face, focusing. "Have you ever been seriously injured before? On a job, or otherwise?"

"Thanks. Though I think we probably shouldn't start keeping score on the times we save each other's lives."
He gave a grin that showed his teeth at the jest, and realized she was right. They really were a good team. Markus wasn't used to such a thing, as much he tried to appear that way around her. He'd known hard fighting women before, and he'd known those a bit less experienced than he (though not much, judging by his mere 4 years as a sellsword), but he'd always been in a larger, looser group. One where you could easily close yourself from others, yet you were also apart of something bigger than yourself.

It was different for him to be out here with only one partner, especially a woman like this. Alike him in more than a few ways, competent, but... he felt like she looked to him too. He knew she could take care of herself, and in fact she impressed him in a lot of ways. However, he felt a certain sense of duty as the more experienced one. Briefly, he wondered if he was up to this. It was quite an odd thing, hitting it off with a girl so quickly, and then suddenly becoming her comrade in arms, and perhaps even a mentor of sorts, though he used the term loosely.

"Let me take a look at that?" she asked, and his reverie fled when he heard her voice. "Oh, yeah." he breathed, lifting his shirt up. It was his turn to blush despite himself, and he was glad his lifted shirt covered the lower part of his face. He nodded, giving a self depreciating chuckle.

"Yes." he admitted to her question. "I remember when I was a boy, and my older brother accidentally loosed his bow in my direction. He didn't know I was coming out of the woods, and it hit me in the chest. If that was a war bow and not a hunting bow, I might have died just there. And...in the battle I spoke of before. The only one I was in, I...a sword ran through my side. The other side-" he explained. "I'd only been fighting for half an hour, though I suppose many good men died after a minute. I lay there and heard the battle around me as I bled."

He cleared his throat, and shook his head of the dark thoughts. "Luckily, a priest patched me up once the battle was over. He had magic, and I could walk without help a week later." He sucked in his breath from a jabbing pain as she worked on his wound, though it was her job and he didn't protest. "Thank you, Val." he said breathlessly as the wound was patched up. @Luminosity

"I can't imagine what that must have been like," Valerie said as she worked on the wound. She tried to imagine it, too, but of course it wouldn't compare to a real experience. To be so badly wounded as to be unable to move, in the chaos and horror of a battle... she nearly shuddered. All of her own experiences with bloodshed had been on such a smaller scale, and even the bloody skirmish she'd been involved in the day before had been over so fast. There was hardly any time for the mind to process it.

"I think it's safe to say I've been lucky in that regard, at least so far." She half smiled at a memory. "Worst I can claim is falling from my horse as a child, the first time I lost control. Broke my arm and two ribs." It certainly hadn't been funny to her at the time; maybe it was the feeling of simpler times that brought the smile to her face. "There wasn't much bleeding involved there... just an excess of crying. There, all done."

The cut wasn't really worthy of being stitched up, nor was it bleeding severely, but it was at least cleaned and bandaged adequately now. She scooted back a bit and lay back on her bedroll, staring up at the protective canopy of vines and settling her hands atop her belly. Very few of her friends had called her Val back home, and none of her family, but she didn't mind. It was probably a better name for a mercenary woman, after all.

Her stomach rumbled, and she sighed. "Ugh. The food about ready?"