Hatman1801

A Hero Tale: Alvios

Alvios had to take a moment to register what had happened. Well so much for cutting her. How the hell did she do that? She wasn't intangible; she was clearly touching people, and she bumped into someone earlier without falling through them. No time to think about it now, though. Shadra was on the move again.

And in the wrong goddamn direction. "Get away from them! You're fighting me now, Shadra!" He chased after her, pulling the metal sheath out of his belt. He needed to get her to pay attention to him. He flung the sheath at her, readying to strike at wherever she dodged. Something would work eventually. It had to.

A Hero Tale: Alvios

"Not happening." Alvios was coldly relieved at her response. If Shadra's only solution was death, then Alvios was perfectly willing to deliver equal justice, and Shadra didn't give him any reason to let her walk away from this unscathed. He skipped back slightly, before turning and swinging his sword down hard at Rebecca's back. He would have tried to keep distance between them whether he had seen that claw or not; he didn't want to suffer the same fate as Rebecca if he could help it.

If nothing else though, he had to get Shadra away from Rebecca, let the Elders try to help. He didn't necessarily have to win the fight, he just had to avoid losing.

A Hero Tale: Alvios

Alvios wouldn't have any of it. What reason did he have to blindly trust this woman immediately after she did that to Rebecca? A child was hurt, fate uncertain, all through some strange power that just happened on contact with no warning. His hands tightened around his blade, and he tried very carefully to control his voice.

"I've got no reason to trust you with her again. And I'll be damned if you get away from this without retribution!" He was hesitant to swing again though. Could that odd ability travel through any sort of contact? No, she had bumped into the man behind her. So either it had to be intentional or flesh-to-flesh. Was she going to fight back? She definitely seemed to have a violent side, but she also seemed reluctant. Very reluctant...and suddenly lucid.

Alvios swallowed some of his anger and pride. "...If this was actually an accident though, just tell me how to undo whatever you did, and leave. I'll back down then."

A Hero Tale: Alvios

It all felt like it happened in slow motion and too fast at the same time. It would have been enough to retaliate if Shadra had just grabbed Rebecca's arm. That alone would have been reason enough. But the anomaly, the darkness that had spread from Shadra into Rebecca for that moment, that pushed him over the edge.

Alvios drew his sword in one swift motion, swinging horizontally at Shadra to keep her back, and to send a message to the crowd around him about how much room he would need. "Everyone back away from her, NOW! Don't touch her! If any of you get the chance, take Rebecca to the Elders!" His voice lowered once he had spoken out for the people, his tone colder and directed at Shadra. "I don't know who or what you are, Shadra, but you're going to regret what just happened." His off-hand moved to the hilt of his sword now, readying up for a more lethal stroke, his eyes glancing over Rebecca as he moved himself between Shadra and the child.

"I swear it."

A Hero Tale: Alvios

Alright, little creeper girl was reaching a whole new level of unsettling. 'You are Shadra, created...' What did she mean by that little slip? It was only getting worse as the conversation went on as well, words becoming drawn out and statements going from broken to incoherent. Alvios didn't want to be around her anymore. He certainly didn't want her around Rebecca either. He cleared his throat loudly to try and grasp her attention for a hopefully decent amount of time. "Well then, Miss Shadra, if there's nothing I can help you with, I think Rebecca and I should be going. The festival awaits and whatnot."

For the longest day of the year, the sweat beneath his jacket felt cold.

A Hero Tale: Alvios

"My...my name is Alvios." He spoke clearly and plainly, making sure he was audible over the speech without appearing intimidating. This stranger clearly wasn't all there. He shouldn't rush to conclusions about her off-putting demeanor. Probably just a foreigner, maybe this wasn't her native language. Still, the raw instinct he felt in her presence was still influencing his reason. He slowly and carefully set down Rebecca. If he needed to run, it would be easier to pick her up than try to hold her on his shoulders. If he needed to do something else, well, he couldn't fight with a little girl on his head obviously.

Alvios gave the stranger the most inviting look he could muster. "Sorry; stiff shoulders. Now, what's your name?"

A Hero Tale: Alvios

Alvios winced playfully as Rebecca tugged at his hair, but as the young woman approached him, his brow creased. He was immediately put off by her appearance; who wouldn't be? Not exactly common for people to be walking around with black masks and full-body leather. The sun must have been hitting that mask strangely as well, as Alvios could swear he was seeing her eyes glow. She didn't look like she belonged at the festival, or even around other people at all. Rebecca wouldn't care, she was just a little girl, naive and curious. His protective instincts were kicking in terribly.

However, the girl also wasn't giving off any sort of threatening appearance. Her rather average height and pathetically thin build didn't betray a hint of ill intent or aggression, and she seemed terribly meek. I'm overreacting, Alvios thought, trying to be a little more open-minded and smiling at the stranger. "Can I help you, miss? You were weaving through the crowd awfully quickly there. Are you looking for something?" As he spoke, he could feel the fingers on his right hand twitch, and he was suddenly very glad about the sheathed blade belted at his hip.

A Hero Tale: Alvios

Alvios rolled his eyes and sighed, hefting the young girl up onto his shoulders with a smile. "As if I could say no to either of you ladies. You had best save me the best pie though, Miss Mary!" He chuckled and gave the women a casual wave as she hurried off, before looking up at Rebecca. "Alright you, how about we go take a look at the statue, now that you're above all the adults in the crowd?"

He didn't wait for her response; he'd babysat Rebecca enough to have a good idea of what she'd want. First the statue, then some games, and then a few sweets before her mother came back for her. Alvios was already thinking up some fancy tale about Helios to entertain the child during their first stop.

A Hero Tale: Alvios

Alvios yawned, sitting upright and shielding his eyes from the light. He really needed to remember to get some new curtains. "Gonna blind myself at this rate...thanks a lot, Helios." Whether he was being sarcastic or not was debatable though, since that particular legend meant free food and fun for the rest of the day. He didn't rush; he combed his hair, dressed himself up, and strapped his sword to his side.

He went outside and took a breath of fresh air; today felt like it was going to be a good day.

A Hero Tale: Alvios

Hey there random lurkers.