Aragorn

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

Ariel grimaced as they entered into the room of corpses after Alm had given the okay, the stench of death hitting her almost like a wall. She squinted and turned her head around in an attempt to get a better idea of their surroundings in the dim light, tying a piece of cloth around her mouth and nose in an effort to keep her previous meal in her stomach. From what she saw, she was almost certain of one thing. Whatever had killed these men, who she assumed to be the expedition, was not human. Or if it was..."They are inhumanly strong..." she breathed as she examined the remains of one of the men, pinned to the wall and missing all of its extremities. She was no stranger to death. Hell, it was pretty common in the darker parts of the City, but she had never seen anything this grisly.

Ariel winced and wrenched her gaze away from the poor man's remains. Part of her screamed to run far, far away from this madness, to return to her comparatively mundane life in the City. But at the same time, she knew she couldn't, and she cursed silently at herself as she checked the corpses one by one for any signs of them being the missing noble. "How do I keep getting myself into these situations?"

As she proceeded with her sombering task, a worrying thought occured to her. She couldn't be certain, but none of the bodies appeared to belong to the offending party. Were they too quick to hit, or immortal? Or was there something more to this whole scene that she wasn't seeing? Shaking her head, Ariel picked up a sheathed short sword, its owner presumably never having gotten the chance to draw it from its hardened leather sheath.

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

Ariel closed her eyes for a moment, clearing her mind so she could focus on the battle. When she felt ready, she dashed forward, keeping her head and body low to avoid making herself a target. Behind her trailed her daggers, pointed into the air behind her as she held them next to her sides. Coming into the proximity of one of the shielded orcs near Olivia, she leapt high into the air, aiming for the orc's forehead.
Noticing her at the last moment, the orc raised its shield over its face, her blades hitting the rough metal of the barrier. Not perturbed, she used the shield as leverage to jump even higher, executing a backflip so she now stood behind the orc. She leapt on to the orc's back as her daggers began to emit a white hot heat and, pulling her head level with the orc's neck, thrust both into the front of its throat, blood spewing from the gash and spattering against her face as she opened the wound. She pulled her weapons out from the now dying and flailing orc as she disconnected from its back. In the process, the edge of its shield made contact with her side, its rough edge ripping through her leather encased waist and leaving a gory tear.
Ariel cursed as she almost collapsed from the shock of the wound. She had been careless, and now she had paid for it. "I don't have time for this." she growled to herself, touching the edge of one of the tantos against her side. She nearly howled as the heated blade sterilized the wound and staunched the bleeding, but she gritted her teeth and turned towards her next target, the orc rushing Shion with a deadly looking axe. Ariel rushed towards the heavily armed beast, attempting to ignore the frequent spikes of pain erupting from her side. While her actions had nullified the immediate danger from the wound, she knew that after the battle was over it would need proper treatment. This wasn't the first time she had been injured in battle, but it was certainly one of the nastier injuries she had endured.

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

At the sound of the call, Ariel jerked out of her tent, daggers already strapped to her sides. "I hope these orcs aren't pushovers like the last group." She grunted, a hard smile appearing on her face. She would have preferred to have gotten more sleep, but alas, orcs were never the courteous type. She rushed over to the line, almost tripping as she pulled her boots on. She took her place in the formation, standing next to Stephan as her daggers left their leather holders. Ariel took up an almost crouching stance, her left blade resting in front of her chest, its blade pointed outwards. The other one was held at the ready at her side, ready to either parry or go for a surprise strike.

"I'm not going to lie. I don't like you." She said testily to Stephan as Kaeciels' bolts flung forward from his crossbow. "But I hope you're a better fighter than you are a speaker." Her mismatched eyes focused on the oncoming orc attack party. And blinked as the sudden artificial sun from Glyndan illuminated the battlefield, as well as the thorn bushes he had created. Now that the ranged and mages among the orcs were hopefully drawn to him and Iroryn's magic, she could focus on the melee without worrying about an arrow embedding itself in her. Not that she had planned on making herself easy to hit. She'd had enough experience running and fighting in city markets that dodging a bunch of bumbling orcs shouldn't be an issue for her, especially ones already handicapped by Iroryn and Glyndan. Or so she hoped. She didn't fancy her chances if she got surrounded, and she had always had some difficulty with singular two handed weapon wielders.

She focused on the shielded warriors, narrowing her eyes as she turned her thoughts away from the pointless hand wringing she had been doing in her head. They'd be nearly impossible for Kaeciel to take out with his bolts as long as they had half a brain. "But there isn't much they can do about a knife in the back of their throat." She reasoned to herself. And no amount of armor could protect them from the white heat she could engulf her blades in, capable of melting through steel like butter.

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

I'll have a post up soon. Work wore me out. If it isn't tonight, it'll be in the morning as soon as I wake up.

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

I'm not opposed to a discord server. I'm also not opposed to us moving forward. I want to get this party started.

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

@Sanity43217I think he meant to mention you in this as well.

@Milim@Milim feel free to post when you wish you both are still able to go over what you have been doing at camp

@Arthanus

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

Ariel rolled her eyes at Stephan's words, beginning to inspect her other blade. It wasn't the first time she had run into a prick like him, and it was, depressingly, unlikely to be the last. In truth, she wanted nothing more but to send one of the throwing knives attached to her legs flying towards him, but she had seen the way he moved, and had deduced that her knife would likely not reach its target. Besides, even if it did, he'd just be more weight to carry back to Honimora, and she doubted either Olivia or Jing would be pleased about the incident. So, for now at least, she'd just have to put up with him.

Hearing his knife ears comment, she shook her head in disbelief. Not only was he an ass, he was racist to boot. "This is stupid." She muttered, fantasizing for a moment about shoving both her tanto's down the man's throat. Seemingly appeased by the cheery image, a calm smile appeared on her face as she unbuckled the daggers from her waist and laid down, resting her head against the trunk of a nearby tree. It felt like the temperature had dropped several degrees as soon as she entered the shade of the leaves, and she almost yawned. This was the most relaxed she had felt in weeks, after all the intense training she took upon herself to meet the physical requirements of the Company, as well as the long trek it had taken them to reach the oasis. While she had been in prime shape from her time with Nicholson, endurance had not been a strong point for her. After all, there was no need to run throughout the whole length of Golden Shores when there was plenty of hiding places, tucked away from the guards and angry shop keepers. Or in the case of the four years afterwards, it didn't take much endurance to chase after the children of the noblemen and women she had found temporary employment with as servant.

At the thought of her late mentor and protector, the smile disappeared. "Are you proud of me yet, Nicholson? I got out of the city..." she asked quietly, looking out over the glimmering waters of the pond. A faint smile reappeared on her face as she shook her head. "No, you were never easy to please. And I haven't even accomplished anything yet..."

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

Alright, I'll put it in italics for thoughts and I'll color it for talking. I've been solo writing for so long, I forgot that I'm not the only one who is reading my content.

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)

I...kinda wanna see this now.

Bloodrose Irregulars - The New Squad (Dark Fantasy Adventure)