Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Is This A Friend? [1x1 w/Arcus]

It was a sunny morning in the realm of Sahima, not a cloud in sight. It was the perfect morning to hold court outside in the castle courtyard, something not everyone was excited for. The young princess of the realm sat under a table in the kitchen, the bottom of her pink dress wrinkled on the ground around her. She had a small cake in her left hand, which she was taking rather large bites out of. Court would last several more hours, and by that time the girl would have found a better place to hide.

"Roshinaka!! By the gods where have you gone girl?!?!" A maid ran past the table the girl, Roshi for short, was hiding under. The maid seemed to be panicked, which probably meant that her father wanted to present her to future suitors. Gross. All the suitors were at least ten years older than her, if not more. And they always seemed to be looking at her weird, like she was a piece of food instead of a girl. That's one of the main reasons she usually hid on court days. The maid ran past again and paused at the edge of the table, debating whether Roshi was under or not.

Needing to escape, Roshi burst out from under the table and headed towards the servants entrance that lead to the back of the castle. She could climb the wall and hide in the forest for a while, nobody would ever guess she was in there. Well, nobody except for her older brother and sister. They could always find her hiding places easily, no matter where she hid. Throwing open the servants door, Roshi charged towards the wall and grabbed the vines. Within seconds she was on the other side of the wall, and she could hear the maid wondering where she went.

Giggling, Roshi moved into the forest a bit, making sure to keep the castle wall in sight. She didn't notice the three men that were following her, she didn't even notice the large caravan that was sitting just out of sight. Roshi was too cocky about her escape to notice these things, and that's how the three men manged to sneak up on her and knock her out. She was thrown non-too gently into a burlap sack and into the caravan, two of the men climbing in after her as the third one took up the horse reins.

Arcus was wandering through the forest at this time, trying to figure out what to do next. He felt so... lost? Alone? Probably both. He could not remember the last time he talked to someone, and likely it was a hostile exchange of words rather than a pleasant conversation. He would tug a little on his black cloak, his whole face hidden and all of his skin was as well. He had black gloves on which hid hid hands, the right one having a small purple vortex symbol, the other glove having a red eye symbol on it. He could recall having them his whole life, of course they did not fit him for a majority of his life. He had only recently been able to wear them. The only thing one could see for certain on Arcus were his dark purple, glowing eyes that seemed to pierce anyone they looked at with a discomforting gaze.

Tales of Arcus were well known in most places, but uncommon in others. Tales of a person who was so powerful he obliterated entire armies with a finger, could turn a man inside out, and could destroy entire cities by warping the fabric of reality, that he was not even human, that he was a cruel heartless destructive being from another world. While some rumors had some truths behind him, all the ones about him wasting away armies or cities were false, he did not hold that kind of power. Along with the ones that depicted him as some kind of monster. Granted Arcus was not even sure if he was human, but he knew he never killed or harmed without reason ever.

Arcus was lost in his thoughts until he noticed something in the corner of his eye. A girl by the looks of it, pointed ears and pink hair. Giggling... Arcus began to slowly follow the girl in any form of shadow he could find, trying to follow her silently. Most people would find this to be creepy, however Arcus had no ill intents. He simply wanted to make sure this young girl would remain safe. He would then notice some men coming up from behind the girl and he froze, were these people her guardians? He would suddenly flinch when they knocked her out, and he would slowly blink them open and clench his fist. Well that answered that question.

He would growl slightly and he quickly moved through the forest, before stopping and he closed his eyes. He would then throw his arm out and he would vanish, and appear a little in front of the Caravan once it got moving, dust would fly when he suddenly teleported, the sound was like a high pitched thunder crack and there was a small wave of purple energy under his feet that moved outwards, like if you were to throw a stone into water. A few purple particles flew off the little wave as it faded and flew into the air, and Arcus would flex his hand out "HALT!" he would yell in the most menacing tone he could muster, his hand twitching and his eyes had anger in them, he had many ideas of why these men would capture this girl, but he sure as hell was not about to find out which one it really was.

The man in front hadn't been paying attention, so when the man suddenly appeared in front of the horse it was all he could do to keep the horse from stampeding off. "OI!! What the 'ell do you think you're doing?!?!" The man yelled, pulling out a short dagger from under the seat. He had definitely noticed the purple ripples underneath the man, but he was simply overconfident in his abilities. That would be the death of him.

Noticing that the caravan had stopped, the other two guards joined the first one in the front of the caravan. They didn't worry that the girl would escape, they had struck her hard enough to keep a full grown man down for at least a half an hour. It would keep her down longer, perhaps hours depending on how strong she was. The other two guards followed suit and grabbed their knives from their respective belts, brandishing them towards the man.

"If you value your life then I would suggest getting out of the way, stranger." The first guard threatened, not knowing exactly what he was getting into.

Arcus would not say a word when the man questioned what he was doing, he felt it was obvious enough what he was doing. He would just eye the man, sizing him up like a predator would their prey before striking. He noticed this person only had a dagger, and he would smirk a little. This would be easy then, likely these people only targeted weak people or children given how little in terms of weaponry they had. He would watch two more men get out, noticing they also only had daggers. He looked to the man and he would chuckle and shut his eyes.

He would pause there for a few seconds, before he let out a soft laugh "...I am afraid your fate is sealed" he mumbled, and then suddenly his eyes shot open. He would flex a hand out and a red and black chain like object flew from his hand, and it impaled one of the men and Arcus would then throw his hand back, sending the man flying towards him. Arcus then formed a purple energy spike with his other hand and he would stab the man in the head with it as he flew towards him, he let the man drop before lunging forward, blasting one man into a tree with a purple orb of magic, he then would roll under the third man, grab him by the neck and slam him face first into the carriage a few times before blasting the man into his friend against the tree, and then blasted them a few more times to make sure they were dead.
He would pant a little, and he would rub his arm a little. He felt weak now, but he could not stop to absorb their energy. He had to make sure the girl was alright and then get her out of here, there was no telling if these men had friends.

He would quickly get into the back and see Roshi, he would frown and slowly go upto her and looked at her closely. He noticed she was still breathing, so that was a good sign. He would then slowly pick her up over his shoulder and he jumped out of the back, and he then cut the horse loose from the carriage so they could be free.
He then would slowly set down under a tree in the shade, and he took a few steps back into the shadows of a bigger tree, he wanted to wait for her to wake up or be found. He would watch her closely until she did so, he only hoped she did not see him or find him. He... He was pretty sure she would react the same way the others did towards him.

The men had no time to react to the attacks of this stranger, and they were slaughtered. Their bodies laid unmoving on the ground, no sign of life in any of their lives.

Meanwhile at the castle, the maid had grown so worried that she had gathered some of the guard to search for Roshi in the woods. It was one of her favorite hiding spots after all, so why shouldn't they? When they were about to set off, the king joined them as well. It surprised the guards so much that several of them had forgotten to bow, which would earn them several hours in the stockade later. The party set off into the woods, using the front entrance to the castle. They would not find Roshi for several hours at the rate they were moving, and by then she would be awake.

No less than an hour later after the stranger had saved her, Roshi began showing signs of awareness. Within a few minutes of the first sign, she was fully awake and looking around in confusion. Where am I? I thought I was by the south end of the forest. Her eyes passed over a darker part of the shadows, seeing something wrong with them. "Is someone there?" She called, squinting her eyes. All she could make out was a vague outline of a person, and her body hurt to much to move towards it. "Can you not stand in the shadows like that? It's kinda creepy." Roshi added, hoping the person would come out.

(The guards haven't found her yet, I was thinking maybe Arcus could help her over to where the guards are currently searching)

Arcus would freeze when the girl began to wake up, staying perfectly still and holding his breath. He had trained himself to be able to hold his breath for two minutes tops, after that if he tried holding in any longer he would likely pass out. He watched her, closely noticing her eyes squinting. When she spoke to him, his blood ran cold and he flinched slightly. She had seen him, he should have expected this. She was not human, at least not fully judging by the ears. She likely had better eyesight than most. He would bite his lip, and he would stay still for a moment before letting out a sigh, letting his breath out that he had been holding and he closed his eyes for a second. She mentioned how he was being creepy by just standing in the shadows, and yet he would likely look no less creepy being out in the open.

None the less he felt he should at least respect the girl's wishes, it was better than tarnishing his reputation further, he would hesitantly take a step out. And then fully move out from the shadows. His face nearly impossible to see, though it looked like it could possibly be a tanned color. His eyes scanning her with a look of curiosity, mainly as to why she was out here.

Arcus would slowly rub his arm, and he would close his eyes "...Come I have heard people in the distance searching for someone. I imagine that person is you" he would mumble, seemingly wanting to spare her any details and talk as little as possible as he turned and began to take a few steps forward, but would look back to see if she was following.

When the man came out of the shadows, she was amazed at his purple eyes. They seemed to see into her soul, and it felt just weird. "Your eyes are pretty." Roshi commented, using the tree behind her to get up. She was a bit wobbly on her feet, and her head felt like someone had smashed it in with a large rock. Rubbing the back of her head, Roshi tried following the man. But instead of actually stepping forward, Roshi stumbled and almost face planted.

Gripping a short branch, Roshi waited to see if her legs would cooperate. They wouldn't. "Um, I don't think I can walk...." She admitted embarrassingly, her face turning a crimson red. Roshi hated when she had to ask for help, and often times she got hurt because she didn't. But this time she seemed to see that the only way she would be able to get back to the castle was to ask for help.

Arcus had been waiting for some kind of shriek of horror or some kind of insult to be thrown his way, that was how most if not every person reacted. Or they sometimes would just slowly back away before running. However, the reaction she gave had not been the one he had been expecting at all. Arcus would blush faintly and he would slowly shift side to side, kicking his feet nervously. 'Did she... just compliment my eyes?' he asked himself in his head. He had... never gotten compliments before, at least if he had, he had not for a long while. He would slowly nod to her and would not do anything else, he simply did not want to. He was also flustered and he felt weird because of it.

Arcus noticed that she nearly face planted when he looked back, and he frowned a little. He would watch her for a couple seconds after she mentioned she could not walk. He then would slowly walk over to her "You took a blow to the head" he would mumble softly, as if trying to explain to her why she was likely having trouble walking. He would slowly bend over, and pick her up in his arms. He was tall, that much was certain. Very tall, yet his normal voice sounded youthful still. He would then begin to walk towards the sounds of the people looking.

He ended up spotting the group the King was with, and he began to slowly approach them with the girl in his hands, not saying a word. Honestly if this girl could have walked, he would have just set her down and taken off. But no, he had to hand this girl over to them... he shivered at the thought of getting close to these people, who were likely not unlike anyone else he had met thus far. It did not deter him though, this girl needed his help and he was going to give it to her, so he kept walking towards the group in a non hostile manner. While, as non hostile as he could since his eyes and attire made him look quite ominous.

A bit surprised at the gentleness this large man showed with picking her up, Roshi leaned her head against his shoulder. It lessened the pounding in her head a bit, and gave her an excuse to look up at him. She couldn't see much besides his glowing purple eyes, which fascinated her greatly. They were a bit like her eyes, except that hers didn't glow in the day time.

When she saw the group of guards, Roshi smiled. She was surprised that her father was heading up the search party, he usually seemed too busy to bother with her since she was the youngest. Every time she had gone to him with a problem, he had just brushed her off and told her to fix it herself. And she had, after a while she had even stopped going to him with her problems.

The king looked at the man holding his daughter with curiosity in his eyes, not anger nor malicious intent. Dismounting his horse, he ignored the protests from his guards as he walked to meet the man halfway. He did not reach towards his sword, nor did he let any of the guards accompany him. When he reached the halfway point, he merely stood there.

Roshi sat there in shock, for her father didn't go anywhere without his guard. Nor did he show such restraint towards a potential hostile enemy.

"Are you returning my daughter with hopes of a reward? Or are you merely going to kill her and make me watch?" He asked, his eyes hardening as he spoke. He had been through this once before, and it had not ended nicely for his eldest son.

Arcus attempted to ignore the fact the girl was looking at her, it made him self conscious. He felt like she was judging him or sizing him up because more often than not, that was how things went for him. Any attention he drew was normally out of disgust or fear, or sometimes a combination of the two.

Arcus made absolutely certain to show no ill intent as the king walked towards him, he knew likely that the king and his men were on high alert and on edge, and would try to strike him down if he tried anything or do anything that even look funny. He would look the King over and he would blink a few times. He heard the King question if he was here to return his daughter for reward or to kill her in front of him. He would blink a little, and he would look down at the girl. So she was really a princess then? He had his suspicions when a man dressed like a king was looking for her, but he thought perhaps he might have just been helping to improve his image.

Arcus would then look up at the King, and he would take the girl and hold out the girl to the King. "...Return...no reward" he would mumble simply. Trying to say he was returning her and that he did not want a reward in as few words as possible. He hated speaking with people, as much as he missed it he hated it at the same time. It was odd, but he knew it always put him off when he had to focus on speaking instead of checking if the person he was with was going to gut him when he was not paying attention.

The king didn't show his surprise, but he was surprised nonetheless. He had thought a man like this would be the malicious kind, notthe kind who would return something so precious without even asking a reward. The king took Roshi from the man's arms and held her in his own, noting how she stayed perfectly still.

Meanwhile, Roshi was just as surprised as the king had been, more of the fact that someone had been killed in front of him than the fact that the man had given her to her father. She didn't know what it was, but she felt like she could trust this strange man to keep her safe. Even though they had just met. Pulling on her father's shirt, Roshi motioned for him to lean his head close and whispered in his ear.

Straightening, The king looked taken aback a bit. He awkwardly shifted from foot to foot and avoided looking the man in the eye. "My daughter would like it.... if you came to visit her from time to time." He hesitated, then added the second part. "She says that you have trustworthy eyes." The king glanced down at a grinning Roshi, swinging her feet a bit. Her head had begun to feel a bit better, and the healer in the castle should be able to make her good as new.

Arcus would just stare at the man until the girl was taken, he would let out a soft sigh once she was and he would dust his cloak off a little. He would clench his fists and then slowly nod to the girl, having full intentions of just turning and running away and never coming back here again. However as he turned to leave, he heard the King's voice and he would snap his gaze back. He would listen to what he had to say and his blood would run cold again and he shivered slightly. 'Trust worthy eyes?' he would think, and then went slightly cross eyed, almost like he was trying to look at his own eyes but to no avail. For that was not physically possible.

Arcus' eyes would return to normal and he would look between the girl and the king a few times before closing his eyes. She... she wanted him to come back? That was a first to him to be sure. At the same time he could feel the soldiers disproving gaze pierce his very soul, the only reason none of them spoke up to voice their opinions on how stupid they thought this was because they did not wish to get in trouble with the king. Arcus would rub the back of his head and he would open his eyes. Perhaps he could... prove them wrong? Surely if this girl trusted him, he should take this chance to prove everyone wrong. He may not get a chance like this ever again...
Arcus sighed and then slowly nod, and blinked a few times before looking at the king "If that...is what she wants..." he would say and then look to the girl "Then...alright" he would mumble, the youth in his voice was more apparent this time. It was... not quite the voice you would expect to come from someone that ominous looking or tall. Granted he did not sound like a little kid, but he did not exactly sound fully matured yet either.

Arcus would then turn and walk off into the forest. To recollect his thoughts, weigh how he was going to go about this and when the best time to visit her would be. He felt it be best to wait awhile first, then visit her when people perhaps forgot a bit about him. If that was even a possibility, but he would make sure to stay true to his word, he would visit her like she wanted.

(OMG I feel sooooo bad for letting it get to 3 weeks. I totally forgot about this. I'm sooo sorry, please don't hate me. Just give me a few hours to get to a quiet place so I can respond, there's too much noise where I am right now.)

(Hay it is completely okay~ Do not beat yourself up over it at all I completely understand and I do not hate you at all x3)

Roshi smiled to the man, her glee apparent in her eyes. She was truly happy to have someone to play with in the coming weeks, for she had never truly had a friend before. Her and her father's status had always clouded the judgements of others, clouded them so badly that they thought they could control her father by controlling her. It had never worked, and it never would.

Glancing upwards at her father's face once the man was gone, she saw that his face had grown cold and harsh. Calling the head of the guard over, the king lifted Roshi off his lap and put her on the guards steed instead. The guard had gotten off and now held the reins, guiding the large horse to the castle. Laying forward on the war horse, Roshi let her wind wander. When they reached the castle, the royal medic came out and motioned for the captain to pick Roshi up and follow him. They went into the castle and back up to Roshi's room, which had been torn apart.

Looking on with shock, Roshi glanced up at the guard holding her to see that his face was a deep crimson. "Your father ordered your room to be searched thoroughly, princess." He muttered loud enough for her to hear as he placed her gently on the unmade bed, leaving the room almost immediately. The medic walked over to her with his hands glowing green, putting them on both sides of her head. "Tell me when it begins to hurt." He smiled weakly, knowing that his type of magic didn't mix well with her body. It always made her feel weak instead of stronger, but usually only for a day after the healing. When the pain got too bad for her to stand, Roshi held her hand up in their signal and he backed away. Her head felt much better, but she felt weaker than before. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open and before long, she was asleep.

It was a couple days before Roshi woke up again, feeling like her normal self. She scared the maid when she woke up, demanding food in her usual just-woke-up way, another sign she was feeling better. The maid brought her food up a few times, each time Roshi polished off a plate in record time. "Has the man that saved me been to the castle since I've been in bed?" She asked, finishing off her latest plate of food. The maid shook her head and ran out with her plate, leaving Roshi alone for the first time that morning.

Finally. Roshi rolled her eyes, climbing out of the four poster bed. She quickly dressed and ran over to the window, closing her eyes and holding her hands palms down. "Grow." She muttered, the vines obeying her command and rising up to meet her at the window. With a devious smile Roshi climbed onto the vines, which deposited her safely onto the ground in a matter of seconds. With a short glance up to her window, Roshi ran towards the front gates to look for the stranger that saved her.

(At first, I couldn't think of anything to type and felt so bad for making you wait. And then I was like, how 'bout I start with this and maybe I can get a paragraph or two. But then I got caught up and made this. xD Sorry for the wait again.)

Arcus had been walking back, he had promised that he would visit again. As much as he disliked being in the company of anything living, he had to admit he felt a certain kind of safety around the girl. Like he was accepted and not thought of in a negative light. Which he enjoyed, he felt he had been forced to grow up so quickly. Perhaps being around someone younger would allow him to once again find joy and happiness? Perhaps he could have fun again? Perhaps be tolerated by people? He was getting ahead of himself sure, and he knew building expectations up never ended well for him, but hay he could dream right?

Of course he had tried to visit her before, but she had been asleep yesterday so he figured he had best try again the following day. He had wondered why she slept that long, he knew she was not dead because he could see her breathing. But why had she been asleep that long yesterday? He was not certain, but he did hope she was awake today at least.

Arcus would look up, exiting the forest now. His purple eyes scanning the castle as he walked towards it. He felt a little sore on his right shoulder, and his neck. He had slept funny yesterday, easy to do when you sleep on the ground with rocks and roots. He then noticed something he was not expecting, but he was otherwise happy to see.

He could see Roshi at the front Gate. Arcus could not help but crack the faintest of smiles, and he sped up his walk a tiny bit. His cloak still covered most of his face, and his arms and hands and it went down to his knees. However his mouth could still be seen, so she could see him smile if she was paying attention.

Arcus walked upto the gate and he would nod to Rochi slowly "...Good morning" he said to her softly, timidness in his tone. He would look around a little, and he would then grip onto the gate, and try to open it to see if it was locked or not.

(Oh I see~ Don't worry about making me wait I do not mind~ I am patient x3)

Roshi had been waiting at the gate for no more than a half hour when the man showed up, bringing a smile to her tired face. "You actually came back." She smiled wider at him, pushing the gate open from the inside. The guards had unlocked it earlier upon her request, but they had seemed almost reluctant in doing so.

"Come on in, I'll give you a tour first and then we can play in the garden." She chatted, grabbing his arm and gently pulling him inside the castle grounds.

He would blink a little, and he would rub his wrist and slowly nodded "...Yes I did" he muttered awkwardly, in response to her mentioning how he had come back. He did promise her, and part of him wanted to just leave and never come back yes. But he did not want to make her upset, and he did not want to blow one of the only chances he had to perhaps have a slightly normal life since she seemed to actually want him around unlike almost everyone else he had met thus far.

He slowly looked around when the gate was opened, before slowly nodding and taking small steps inside. He stayed on alert however in case someone or something decided to jump them, or a guard was going to try and get him. It was silly to think about but it was what he always thought honestly, he never trusted anyone really. He felt that was how he had stayed alive all these years.

Arcus looked back to her, and slowly nod "Alright then...um...lead the...way" he said gently and awkwardly, still a bit shy as he had not been use to speaking to people that often.

Letting go of the man's arm, Roshi nodded to the guard. He closed the gate behind them, locking it shut for safety. "When you want to leave just tell me and I'll inform the guards to open the gate again." Roshi smiled, skipping ahead to show him the castle. She was really excited to finally have a friend to show around the castle, one that didn't seem to interested in her father right away.

"Hmm...... what to show you first..... how about.... The throne room!!!" She clapped, turning around to walk backwards. Roshi walked backwards for a bit towards the front entrance, watching the man move. "Hey, you never told me your name...." She realized, stopping for his response.

Arcus would slowly nod, though he would likely just find another way out. He hated talking to people, they were always so rude to him normally. Or at least because of his magic, he never did usually catch a break with people. He was already way out of his comfort zone talking to and seeing Roshi. But he had promised, and he was not one to break those. Honesty was hard to come by in this world, he did not want to be adding to it by breaking the promises he had made, especially to one so young and impressionable.

Arcus would cringe slightly, the throne room was likely to house the King and His guard, or at least his guard if the King was not around. But he slowly would nod and begin to follow her, avoiding eye contact for the most part until she asked his name. He froze in place, and looked up at the sky for a small amount of time before he starting walking again "...It is Arcus" he muttered softly.