Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » The Hunted (1x1 with Mordeth)

The man wouldn't notice the jar was gone for several hours yet.

He had been caught up in a fight in the street outside of the tavern, and after being on the receiving in of a particularly fierce blow, it was likely he wouldn't notice much until he woke up. As he fell, a small, dark jar fell from his pack, along with a few other shiny trinkets, which were quickly scooped up by the one who dealt the blow. The jar, on the other hand, tumbled its way through the mud, kicked by people and horses, until it finally hit a rock, and burst.. Into flames? No, it seemed the jar contained fire! Despite the mud and the damp weather, the fire burned brightly.. And started to move! The ball seemed to gently float and bounce towards a dark alleyway, illuminating the darkness, before it slowly started to grow, and take shape. Soon, the flames subsided, and darkness crept back into the alley, leaving a lone woman, standing.

Arendreila sighed in relief; she was finally out of that blasted jar, and oh, it felt glorious to move again. Instinct quickly kicked in, however; she glanced out of the alley at people passing, then down at herself. The desert dweller stood out like a sore thumb here, in her silky clothes that revealed much of her abdomen, not to mention the jingling coins across her ample hips. This would be a problem, but she had no solution for it now. She needed to get out of this town, before he awoke and realized that she was no longer in his possession. She walked to the end of the alley, peering out, getting a feel for the town. Thankfully, she was near the edge of the town. A little distraction, and she could easily slip out without too much attention. She glanced back towards the center of town. A trough of water outside of the tavern seemed an appealing target. After a moment, she held a fistful of fire, and it was quickly hurled at the trough. It impacted the wood and water, causing it to sizzle dramatically, great clouds of steam rising and spooking any of the horses near enough to it. People indeed turned to look, and she bolted, sprinting down the road, not even bothering to look back until she was a few minutes outside of the city.

It was a pity she had chosen that very moment to look back; she kept running, until she collided with something very, very solid on the road, which sent her tumbling back and sliding through the dirt with a grunt.

Mordeth had been travelling for quite some time now. Heading towards the coast of the mainland, he had at first gone by horse; a sturdy yet still fleet-footed animal, but it too had eventually succumbed to lethargy and he had put it out of it's misery a mile or so back. Going on from foot then, all of his worldly possessions were on his back. Or so it seemed at least. He had arranged through bird-carried message for some of his more pricier belongings to be sent to wherever he might find himself staying as soon as he decided to ground himself properly. Unaware of the fight going on up the road, he had just turned the corner on the road that began to head in to town when Arendriela heavily collided with him.

With a grunt of mild discomfort more so at the momentum of the impact than any true injury, he staggered back slightly before straightening up. The hood of his orbansa - a covering, deeply-hooded cloak made for travellers' - was kept up, although the glint of his eyes were likely visible within it. Then he registered just what it was that had ran into him, and a 'brow rose.
"What on earth's got you bolting in a hurry?" A baritone voice, not quite gravelly but certainly distinguished and formal in tone, with an accent that was of perhaps one of the Northern lands.

Arendreila pushed herself up to her knees, spitting dirt from her mouth. Lovely. She gingerly got to her feet, glancing at the scrape on her forearm, likely from a rock, before looking to see what she hit. Oh dear, a man. She took a step back, frowning. "I'm so sorry, I was.." She trailed off. Something told her that he would not really care to hear. At his question, she hesitated for a moment. "We'll, that is a long story, but the short of it is, the whole town seems to be quarreling with itself about something, and they've taken to fighting in the streets. So I esc-ahh, left, before it got any worse." That was partly true, so that counted, right?

She certainly looked out of place, though being covered in mud and grime from running into him and the road helped some. Despite the mud now speckling her face, her eyes still gleamed brightly, with that odd golden color. She straightened up, clearing her throat nervously. "I'm sorry for running into you, I should've watched where I was going." Her own voice was clear, sweet, but held the tinge of someone certainly not from anywhere around this place.

Odd eyes. That was at least one thing that they had in common at least, as well as trying to leave somewhere for an unspecified reason. His own were not golden however. Had she taken a look beneath the hood, she would have seen features that were contoured and without any signs of femininity, clean-shaven, burnt ginger hair.. and eyes that had black sclera, with a mid-grey iris and black round pupil. His brow furrowed then at the mention of there being a fight within the town, and he swore under his breath.
"Are there no taverns or inns that are on the outskirts, out of reach of the fighting?"

Not that he was concerned about getting into a fight, but, he did prefer not to get his adrenaline and 'fight' instinct going, the bloodlust up, for exceptionally good reason.

Shaking her head, she glanced back towards the town. "I saw one, but the innkeeper appeared to be barring the door.. I didn't go to the far side of the town, though..You might have more luck there." Another glance was cast back before she began brushing dirt from her arms and hands. "From the shouting I heard, it was some sort of feud over a debt, it's got the whole place in an uproar."

She was not one to stick her nose where it didnt belong, and she was not about to start examining this fellow; he was a bit frightening, to be honest. She had gotten a glimpse for just a moment of his eyes when she had been on the ground, and she had gotten the feeling he was not one to be trifled with. Realizing she was still standing in front of him, she quickly stepped to the side of the road, so that he could pass if she wanted. Shouting from the town could be heard now, and it seemed to be growing ever so slowly louder, as if the commotion was leaving the town center. She frowned.

Mordeth's lips thinned slightly in a grim expression. All he had been hoping for was somewhere warm and dry to rest, that was not partway up a tree or an abandoned cave. He caught the frown just as he made to pass, planning to go around the outskirts of the town to try and reach the furthest side of it that was, in theory, away from the goings-on.
"And what of you? Going to stay here and just run off into the darkness? You hardly look qualified to wander around unarmed as you are." Bluntly honest, and certainly not one to sugar-coat his observations. Neither inviting her along or suggesting that she stay; caring little either way, but setting off for the perimeter regardless.

She scowled at him. "You should not be so quick to judge. " Unarmed, indeed! He was clearly a pleasant one to be around, but she figured that she likely wouldn't get as much of a second glance if she was actually walking with someone, so she followed after him, stepping carefully to keep the coins at her hips from jingling; she didn't want to annoy him more than necessary. A hand reached up to pluck a small twig from her now-matted curls, tossing it aside with a huff. She loathed being wet and uncomfortable, but her options were limited, for the moment. At the inn, she could likely make a few coins, buy a cloak at the very least, and be on her merry way. In theory, it was a good plan. But when did things ever go as planned, especially for her?

Comically perhaps to him even if not to her, this was in fact one of his better days. He had Changed recently, so there to him at least seemed to be little risk of doing so again so long as he avoided any threatening situations that It felt might get out of hand or turn against his favour. His lips twitched up slightly at her retort. "I see no weapons on you." That was what he meant by unarmed; as a magic user of sorts himself, he was aware enough of the abilities that people could possess, no matter how unassuming they appeared. Never one to easily underestimate another.

Skirting the town was relatively easy, as the alleys and pathways would allow them to see out onto the larger streets to keep track of the rioting she claimed was occurring. Not one to leave things up to chance, his left hand was resting atop the hilt of his sword; ready to push it to one side ready for the other to draw it.

She shook her head. "I don't use them. I don't need them." She spoke plainly. That was all she would say regarding that, she didn't want to press her luck. He may have been having a better-than-usual-day, but she was not. However, it was hard for her to gage just how bad it was, as she'd been kept locked up for goodness knows how long. As they made their way past the alleys and side streets, he'd get a glimpse at the fighting, now the townsfolk had gathered in a circle to watch a few at a time, though it was clear that one half of the group was clearly against the other. What a mess. She kept a wary eye on both the crowds, and upon him. He looked more than capable. As they passed an alleyway, there was suddenly a very-angry shout from the crowd, and a man broke off, moving up the alley towards them, seemingly trying to get a better look. She flinched, quickly stepping forward from view of the alley. Of course he was awake now. She could handle him, now that she was out, but she was exhausted, and plainly tired of fights. She waited next to a building, holding her breath, to see if he would continue up the alley or not.

He shrugged slightly and continued moving Fair enough. But when one of the villagers broke away, the rest focussed on the fight, he reacted heavily more on instinct than much else. Sword drawn, yet he did not call upon either one of the two Gods vying for control of him just yet. Call it his trump card. Was that another blade tucked into the satchel at his back? Certainly it seemed to be the hilt of one, that was far more ornately decorated than the one he was holding.
"We have no part of the fight your village in." Clearly said, and loud enough to reach the man in question. Assuming for now that it was just curiosity that had the fellow moving towards them.

She waited. The man stopped, just staring for a moment, before cursing and calling out. "I thought I saw someone I'm looking for. Be on your way, if you have no part in this." He trudged back through the mud, but not before glancing back several times. Arendreila quietly sighed in relief, hand pressed to her stomach to calm the anxiety she felt. She glanced at him,"We should probably keep going." With that, she quickly stepped away from where she was pressed against the wall, glancing back warily. It was painfully obvious she knew him, and she was the one he was looking for.

Mordeth was quite aware of her movements too, even if it was more out of the corner of his eyes than much else. When the response came, he nodded curtly. "May the quarrel rest soon." More for the sake of those not involved directly than much else, and for business. While not his concern entirely, the idea of a village tearing itself a part through internal quarrels was baffling.

At the glance, a nod followed, before he sheathed the sword again. "Agreed. The sooner we get to the furthest - nearest - safe tavern, the better. I do not know about you, but I no longer plan to remain as I intended here." His expression was easily grim at the idea, mingled with distaste at having to push on without proper rest yet again.

She nodded. It seemed as there was something more deeply rooted at work here than just a simple argument over a bet, and she had no intention of finding out what it was. She glanced to him. "I do not know where we are, to be quite honest with you." She scowled at the fact, glancing out towards the thick woods that surrounded this place. In the distance, mountains towered over the landscape, the jagged peaks, barely visible as night fell, painted white. She planted her hands on her hips as she thought. He had come from opposite the mountain range. "Do you know of any towns that way?" She pointed a slender finger in the direction she spoke of, towards the mountains.

Mord' knew the location only vaguely; names and directions perhaps, but little in depth. Nothing on the reputations of the towns, nothing on the culture. He could not recall having been in the area before either. Certainly the culture he'd belonged to had never come so far South before.
"No. I have a map but, for now, I care little for what is there." Rest first, relocate tomorrow.

When she pointed back towards the mountains, his lips thinned again in that by now perhaps characteristic expression of dislike for a subject. "A few." Stubbornly unspecific. Maybe he had just travelled through them. It was not at all to do with the fact that in one of them, the Change had suddenly come upon him, starving. Decimating several patrons of the tavern he.... It had resided in and gorging Itself as heavily as possible, the morning after had been one of confusion. Having cleaned up hurriedly, he had babbled about his close encounter with the monster. Changing some details, but making it just believable enough that it correlated to the accounts of others. No notice paid to his eyes, too focussed on the bodies and the dead. He had moved on, none suspecting the traveller. A werewolf perhaps, or some other maddened creature that had gotten in through an open window or through a gap in the roof.

The furthest end of town came into sight then. "Going back in to the streets now should be fine, all of the fighting is back there." A nodded gesture indicated where they had come from.

Seeing that she apparently brought up every subject he just did not want to discuss, she just fell silent. At his indication to return to the street, she nodded. She made her way down an alley to peer carefully into the street; it was indeed clear, and this side of the town indeed was much calmer. At the far end of the street, a tavern was brightly lit up. She gestured to it, not that he couldn't see it himself. She waited for him; it wasn't wise for a woman to enter a tavern alone in such a volatile town, especially when she was so painfully different from the culture here. The prospect of cleaning up and getting a meal was appealing to her, and likely to him as well.

He saw the gesture easily enough towards the lit tavern, before nodding to indicate that he'd seen and began to adjust his path accordingly so then it would smoothly take them up to the entrance at such an angle that it appeared they had come through town rather than from outskirting it. "Got any excuses to tongue as to why you are dressed in such a manner different from any one else? Because I've got one, but it will require you to keep your lips still and eyes down." Curtly said but, it was all a matter of not raising too much suspicion and giving not all too much away. Feigning that she was his servant of a sort would be easy enough; his clothing, while simple, was of quality enough make to give off the impression of at least moderate wealth, while the fact that he possessed not just one sword but two, further added to that.

She had a feeling she knew what he had in mind. She nodded," I wasn't planning on coming back, so we will go with your plan." She took a moment to brush off mud that had dried to dirt, and twisted her hair into some sort of orderly style. She seemed to take his words to heart, falling silent again, and lowering her eyes to watch her feet as they walked on. She was a proud woman, but she also knew when she just had to go along with something. It would likely work, especially considering the amount of muscle her arms held, which could be indicative of hard work, and activity.

Mordeth's expression as briefly grim before they approached the Inn's door. A pair of eyes peered out of the crack as it opened. "What is your business here?" Keeping his own eyes carefully hidden by the shadow of the hood of his cloak, he reached into a pocket before drawing out a pouch; it rattled with the unmistakeably sound of coinage. Not too much to appear suspicious, but not so little as to not be tempting.
"A night's rest, no more. A meal too, warm, for two."

That was moderate enough of a request. Stepping back and opening the door fully, a 'brow rose up at the sight of the woman beside him. "My servant. Her prior employer was having trouble with her, so I pried her from his service to be of better use back home. She will sleep in my room." Not for the reasons one might assume. He had his motivations; to question her more thoroughly than he had done on their walk here.

Arendreila kept quiet as Mordeth had previously instructed, eyes staring firmly at the bottom of the doorway. The tavernkeep stepped out of the way, waiting for them to enter. She waited for Mordeth; a servant couldn't enter first, and they had to play the part. Once he entered, only then did she follow, gaze still down on the ground, even adopting a more meek demeanor, cowering slightly from both of the men. The coins that were draped across her hips jingled, and she quickly rested her hands and arms tightly against them, silencing them. She'd have to remember not to wear them tomorrow.

He made no move to silence her. The coins at least added an exotic appeal, which when paired with his accent that could easily have been determined as uncommon, it was not something that would alarmingly raise suspicion. Handing over the key to one of the rooms and directing them up, he unlocked it... jarring, and jolted it with a shoulder before closing it the moment she had entered. A brief flicker of light seemed to pass around the outside of the door then, from floor to ceiling, before fading out of sight. One of the few minor spells that he felt even remotely safe performing.

"You take the bed. I'll take the floor. Wherever you are going tomorrow, getting some rest will work. The riot will likely have been dispersed by then or grown tired."