Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Thief and the Fox (1x1 Closed RP)

Ophelia was lost in the dark and was led only by the sound Kitsu's voice. She went after them, past the stream deeper into the forest, and just when she thought she lost her for sure, she slowed to a stop and waited, hoping she could hear her voice one more time. But she heard nothing. Ophelia didn't know where she was now.

With one deep breath she screamed out the other girl's name, listening desperately through the muffled echoes for a reply. This wasn't for the money, now. She was genuinely afraid and every second that ticked by, the urge to just run in any direction to find an exit grew. She called out again at the top of her lungs. Ophelia then remembered the tiara. Maybe, she thought as she put it on, maybe this would help.

She looked around, waiting for something, anything to catch her eyes when suddenly, she saw it. It was faint in the distance but she had nothing else to go by as she ran that direction.

The ghost was losing Kitsu when the unexpected burst of speed kicked in and it warped the forest around the girl again, sending her into another area of the forest thick in foliage to slow her down. Unbeknownst to the ghost, however, Ophelia was already waiting at the other end of the warp, sitting atop her horse with a brightly lit torch in hand.

Ophelia squinted in the darkness, staring through the strange magical energy that formed the gate that connected the two planes. Through the other side of the magical field she could see girl's deep orange color running at an incredible speed with what looked like a tidal wave of black energy following close behind. "Kitsu!" she called out, approaching the warped area of the forest. The magical gate waned at the proximity of Ophelia's torch and she saw the other girl's form ripple and fade. Realizing what was happening she backed away from the magic field and signaled for Kitsu to come that way. As the ghost came closer, its body began to fade from the torch light.

Kitsu had almost thought the voice she had heard was another given by the ghostly figure chasing her. But, after a moment, she realized that it was a familiar one that she recognized. She looked ahead of herself, seeing a somewhat blurred firelight, and the form of Ophelia on the other side of a strange wall.

She dared not look behind her, to see if the creature was still chasing, or how close it was to her. She continued on, doing as Ophelia said, and made her way toward her.

As she neared the magical field, her foot slipped under the root of a tree, and and fell forward, but surprisingly caught herself; turning the fall into a roll, and immediately dashing forward through the wall, holding her breath as if she might be passing through something she didn't want to inhale.

When Kitsu slipped and fell, she tried to move in to help her up but the portal faded again, forcing her to back off. As soon as Kitsu walked through she came towards her, waving the torch at the gateway. The ghost at the other end shrieked, hesitating for a moment before coming through as well, shutting the gate behind it. It circled them, scaring her horse once again. She motioned "Light! Kitsu! Get on before my horse loses it again. And more light from your gem... thing."

Kitsu shook her head as she approached the horse, running up and pulling herself up behind Ophelia. "Nooo, she likes it! It might only attract her more!" But, she did as she was told, and held out her gem. It flickered, hesitating like she did, before he glowed brightly, bathing the area around them in light.

If one were at a distance, it would be a ghostly beacon of light, but it would hopefully scare of the ghostly being chasing them.

As soon as Kitsu hopped on, the horse took off. Kitsu was right about the light. The more it illuminated, the more the voracious the ghost became. Like a gigantic, frayed moth attracted to a candle, it would close in, just inches away, before the searing pain forced it to slow.

They continued on until they found themselves along the main road again, meaning the ghost hadn't warped the forest yet. It was only a matter of time, Ophelia thought, before the ghost has them running in circles again.

"Can't you, I don't know, kill it or something? Aren't ghosts vulnerable to magic?" Ophelia said as she kept the horse running along the road. She wasn't so sure about the idea but if holy magic stopped ghosts maybe whatever magic Kitsu used would work, too.

Kitsu shook her head against Ophelia's back as she clung for dear life. She was far too scared to even be able to concentrate, but, if they were going to get out of this alive, she had to do something. She just hoped that the spirit magic in the gem didn't feed the ghost even more. Perhaps the good spirits would counter the bad.

She threw out her crystal, the sphere floating along side them as to bait the creature off of them. And when the ghost would come just within inches... a sudden burst of eerie light would envelope it, before the sphere would return to Kitsu.

When the orb was thrown out, the ghost immediately closed in on it. Crooked claws extended from underneath the plumes of torn cloth as its entirety began to surround it. When the energy burst occurred, the entire forest echoed with what sounded like sharp intake of breath, sucking the ghost back into the trees.

For a moment the entire forest was petrified. The only sound came from the thundering of the horse's hooves as the two girls sped down the silent path to the moonlit exit in the distance. "I... I think that did it," Ophelia said, checking above and behind her. No sign of the ghost anywhere.

There came a whisper too soft to understand at first but grew more loudly as they reached the forest edge. "...more," it called. "More. More. More." It's chanting whisper became a deafening scream as the ground beneath them turned black. Spectral hands emerged from the ground, reaching up, grabbing a the horses legs. It stumbled but pressed on, tearing through the arms as it slowly sank into the ground as if wading through quicksand.

They were almost there. The edge of the forest was right there but the horse was being pulled into the ground. Ophelia felt as if her legs were being dipped into cold molasses. The situation was dire and at this point, she knew there was little she could do for her trusty stead. She tightened the strap of the satchel around her, knowing she couldn't carry much else. "Kitsu, c'mon," she said, standing on top of her horse as it struggled to keep its head above ground. "We have to leave him. C'mon! Jump!" She turned and leapt over the last few feet of whatever it was under them, the hands grabbing for her legs but missing as she rolled onto the hard dirt road at the forest's edge.

Kitsu panicked, and didn't jump from the horse right away. And that was a mistake. The black hands reached up, and as she readied to jump, they grabbed the furs that hung from her robe, and yanked her down. "Ah!" she called out, trying to pull herself free. But the hands multiplied and she was being dragged down with the horse.

Her golden eyes looked to Ophelia, who was safe on the ground just feet away.

'So, I'm going to die here?' she thought, closing her eyes and almost accepting the fact. Darkness began to envelope her, and she felt cold. 'I didn't even get to see him... I didn't get to tell him... No... No! I can't die yet! I have to keep going!'

If Kitsu had fallen out of sight, in the blackness on the ground, it was only for a moment. A sudden burst of white fire erupted from the middle of the blackness, dispersing the darkness around Kitsu. The flames seemed to raise her into the air, pushing her to safety on the ground next to Ophelia.

Ophelia rolled on her belly and crawled over to the forest edge upon seeing Kitsu disappear into the void but there was nothing she could do. If she tried to help, she too would be pulled into who knows where. "Kitsu!" she cried helplessly. She sat back on the grass, the forest seeming content in having captured its target when suddenly blinding light illuminated the ground. The earth burst open, spitting out Kitsu next to a surprised and relieved thief.

She couldn't believe it at first, Ophelia only stared wide-eyed, mouth agape as she tried to find words for what the hell just happened in there. "I... I-" Ophelia stammered before throwing herself on the young woman, feeling over her body to make sure she was still in one piece. "You're... okay?" she said, still catching her breath, "You're okay, right?"

Kitsu was breathing heavily when Ophelia checked her over. But she seemed fine for the most part. She gave a nod of her head and closed her eyes, passing out. But the gem seemed to remain alive, blue-white fire seeping from it, encircling them and seeming to chase off any remainder of black that may have been nearby.

It was safe to assume that Kitsu had more than enough of ghost stories coming to life.

Ophelia was more happy that Kitsu was okay. And as she passed out, Ophelia sat back as well, staring at the wall of trees as if it were going to uproot any moment and drag them back in there. She didn't understand. She had passed through this forest many times and has never encountered anything like that before. And to make matters worse: their only means of transportation was gone along with all the valuable silk, her survival gear, everything. Everything except the tiara.

Luckily for them, the city of Corwen was right there. The torch-lit castle walls were visible sitting atop a hill like a midpoint between the tall snowy mountains and the vast forests. She looked back at Kitsu, fast asleep with the her gem circling them as she rested. "You're really starting to be a handful, aren't you?" she said, shaking her head and gently brushing the girl's hair away from her face. With a sigh, Ophelia stood and dusted off her tunic and bent down to pick the girl up by throwing what weight she can over her back. It wasn't anything new to her. Pulling weight across wide stretches of land were normal up until she had a horse that she kept for more than a night. And so she walked with Kitsu on her back towards the city of Corwen.

Kitsu was out the entire time, mumbling just slightly as she was being carried, but nothing coherent. After a bit, she would tighten her grip on Ophelia; the gem around them lighting the way, at least until the city of Corwen was close enough to give enough light. Then it went out, and rested on Kitsu's shoulders. The forest was quiet, but not the same, eerie quiet from before. It just seemed -- normal for the most part.

Once they were just outside of the city walls, Kitsu would wake and she would slowly blink her way back to reality. "Oh..." she said, looking around. "What happened?" She was almost positive that they hadn't gotten away. Yet, here they were.

The gem had helped illuminate the way as Ophelia followed the path up the hill, past the few candle-lit farm houses that dotted the outskirts of the city. it was late but it wasn't exactly midnight, she figured that much as a few farmers were still sitting just outside their houses, watching their crops sway in the night breeze. Few paid mind to the two as they passed as it was a common sight to have travelers pass through in the wee hours of the night.

The draw bridge to the inner walls was down but the iron gate was closed with a guard manning the post above. "Halt!" called the guard, "who goes there?" Ophelia stepped into the light of the torches and looked up at the guard. She readjusted her hands as Kitsu stirred. Ophelia looked over her shoulder, back at Kitsu with a tired grin, "You got out alive, that's what happened."

"I said: who goes there?" the guard asked again.

Ophelia whispered to Kitsu, "I'll explain when we get inside. You'll just have to excuse me for a moment." She then cleared her throat as she adjusted again under Kitsu's weight. "Please sir!" Ophelia said in distress, "We are traveling merchants who were attacked by bandits in the forest. My friend is injured and we need an inn to rest and recover. At least until tomorrow."

There was a brief pause as the guard looked them over. "I can't just give you a spot in the inn. Nor can I simply provide a room for you in the barracks. If anything, the stables is the only room we have to accomodate you and your friend."

With that, the gates opened allowing Ophelia enough space to slip under before it shut again. It wasn't what she was hoping for. If she wasn't lugging Kitsu around Ophelia would've been able to persuade the guard easily for a free room. The girl has increasingly become more of a liability than Ophelia hoped for and probably would continue to cost the thief if she continued carrying her around... unless. She shook the thought away and sat down near the city wall to catch her breath and checked the other girl.

"You alright? Can you walk?" she asked.

"The stables are over that way," the guard said from atop his post.

"Yes! Thank you, I'm just taking a break."

Kitsu remained quiet as Ophelia spoke to the guard. She felt a little bad that the girl had to carry her the entire way, but she did appreciate it. When she was carried in past the gate, and asked if she could walk, she nodded her head. "Yeah, I think so," she said, grabbing the gem before it could fall from her shoulder, and stood as Opheila sat down.

"I'm glad you are okay," she said, giving a little smile. "And thank you for carrying me here." She tucked the gem away, in her robe, and looked to the guard on his post. Her golden eyes reflected to moonlight as she gazed.

"Oh. Yeah. Well. No problem," Ophelia replied with a smile. She leaned back against the cold stone wall and stared at Kitsu as she had her attention on the guard. There was something hauntingly mysterious about the girl. Maybe it was the gold eyes. But with those eyes, her small body, and her naive personality, Ophelia saw something in the girl that stirred her interests that went beyond the gem around the girl's neck.

She stood up and brushed off her bottom. "C'mon then. Hopefully the stable doesn't smell like crap."

She frowned. Sleeping in a stable was never fun. Her eyes went from Ophelia, and back up to the guard. "Oh, Mister Guard! Isn't there anyway you could get us a room? Or some place a bit more comfortable. I've always heard of your town's hospitality, so I do hope you can help us out!" She gave him a smile, as she waved up to get his attention as she spoke.

This was her failed attempt at trying to negotiate.

The guard heard the young woman's call and looked to see the one of the girls waving at him. He waved back, unsure how to react but then remembered what Ophelia said. "Hey, I thought you said she was hurt or something?"

"Ah, well she..." Ophelia said, standing in front of Kitsu, "She was knocked out! I thought she was injured so that's why. That's why she was unconcious when I got here."

The guard looked at both of them. Ophelia could feel his eyes going over both of them, judging their sincerity.

She heard the guard sigh followed by the familiar clink of the coin. She caught the silver coin and pocketed it. "Tell them I sent you. They'll give you a discount in the inn. Don't be causing trouble. You hear?"

Kitsu looked at the guard when he tossed the coin down. She was surprised that he had actually agreed to help. She let out a laugh, and then waved her hand back to him. "Thank you so much! We will be on our best behavior! This really means a lot!" She bowed a little to him, and pulled Ophelia up by her arm.

She was beaming with pride, obvious that she was happy that she had actually helped their situation.

Ophelia was actually a bit surprised but at the same time quite happy and for several reasons. One: if you looked at the two women, you wouldn't know that they had just survived the wrath of haunted forest. Two: they got a free pass to a room. And three: Kitsu's actions confirmed her potential.

"Hey, Kitsu," Ophelia said as the girl pulled her, "You ever put any thought how you project yourself to others? I mean that guard didn't help much even when I put on my 'poor merchant' act."

Kitsu wasn't sure what Ophelia meant when she spoke about how she wanted to project herself. She continued her pace, somewhat searching for the inn, but also pondering the words.

"What do you mean? How I want to project myself... I really just, want to fit in, really," she said truthfully. It may have been an odd thing to say, but to Kitsu, it was quite reasonable.

Just a few buildings down, what looked to be an inn became visible, and she continued her walk toward it.