Post by Enuyu Suhishi on Feb 8, 2013 12:59:00 GMT -5
Enuyu pulled a light cap from within the folds of her gi and secured it to her head. It wasn't there so much for warmth as to keep the fat wet flakes off of her skull. She fell in step beside Diegis. She didn't lead mostly because he knew where they were going and she did not, but also because she really did not know this man. She wasn't about to trust him enough to simply give him her back. On the other hand she did not fall in behind him for the same reason. What did he know of her? Nothing. Why make him nervous? Assuming he even thought she could be any threat. He was, after all, armed and had almost a foot and likely at least sixty pounds on her. For most that would be more than enough reason to dismiss her. For most, that would be a mistake.
The path to the harbor master's office seemed close to the reverse of what she'd taken from the harbor to reach the tavern. Which was logical, and seemed to indicate her companion was not trying to lead her astray. Their journey continued on in a drawn out silence. He seemed distracted by his own thoughts, so she did not interrupt them with her questions.
They turned down a smaller side street, something of an alley really, and immediately the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It was too late to do anything about it though. Four forms were in the alley with them now; two in front, and two behind.
One of those in front spoke. "Well, look what we have here. Somebody what ain't paid their fair alley tax yet."
She looked to her companion, unsure yet if the odds were 2 on 1, or 5 on 1.
Ha HA! I kill you with my flaming sword of doom. You die.
Diegis did not consider her a threat. In fact, if there was anything currently occupying his mind it was not worry about an enemy. No, his mind was locked into the familiar pain of homesickness.
He had been born in Dacia, a land wild and untamed. His people were considered powerful warriors. Though, legends of the region said they had been escaped slaves who had learned survival tactics from wolves. It was true that they often circled weaker peoples like a pack until they were exhausted and easy to capture. It was also true that they called themselves "ones the same with wolves".
This title, however, was more due to religion than war. Wolves were an animal sacred to his tribe. In fact, a warrior's initiation rite involved a solitary trek into the wilds with naught but a spear. The warrior could not return until they had found, killed and butchered a caribou or other ungulate. Such was how they paid homage to their gods.
Like many other people in the area they were a mix of conquerors, farmers, and fisherman, some fifteen tribes in all. At the time of his leave taking Diegis' particular tribe - Teurisci - lived on the eastern border of the Hercynian forest, in the vicinity of the river Duria. He scuffed at the snow gathering around his feet. His family would be pulling the sleighs today.
Diegis was so wrapped up in these thoughts he did not notice the alley for what it was, though he had kept track of their direction. He wasn't slow though, when the rat hiding in the shadows moved forward and spoke, he had never been slow. His hand came down and ripped the falx free of the sheath on his hip. He sliced it forward, too.
"Alley tax? You think taxing this bit of street is a good idea?"
Diegis snorted at the man, trying to buy a little more time; then motioned with his weapon to indicate the alley. An errant thought went through his brain, too. That thought wondered, for a flash, about his companion and if she had set this up. His mind, however, was already smacking him around. Fool. You asked her to join you. You offered to take her to the Harbormaster. She is not a part of this.
"What do you do with this tax? It's certainly not to keep the area clean."
Scornful and provoking, hopefully.
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
(I don't think so, Kiko. Thanks for the offer. But, we are just getting to know each other and Enuyu isn't even sure how things work here yet. I hope this will be a good introduction for her. I promise not to scare her. Honest injun. Then she can go on to bigger and better things.)
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
Post by Enuyu Suhishi on Feb 9, 2013 10:04:17 GMT -5
The drawn weapon, stance, and words answered the question of the odds; and with that Enuyu smiled. It was an expression both grim and eager. Too eager. The memory of her father's voice came to her, soft words he had spoken to her many times. 'Temper yourself little falcon. Do not be so eager to throw yourself into harm's way. Find a way to soar above it, or around it, if you can.'
She turned slowly, to face the men behind them. The light was fractionally better and she could see the condition of their clothing; it was as ratty as the alley. Their weapons were substandard, to be kind. Their boots had been patched enough that she doubted there was any piece of them that was original. In short they looked poor and probably desperate.
She didn't strike out like a whirlwind, even though the flow of combat was already playing in her mind; strike, block, counterstrike. No. Not yet. These men hadn't attacked yet, and probably just wanted a warm meal and a warm place to sleep for the night. It didn't excuse their actions, but it did temper hers.
She let her feet fall into a neutral stance guarding Diegis' back, distributing her weight such that she could deploy any strike she wanted or move in any direction she needed to. Her voice was casual, flat really when she addressed the would be thieves. "Gentlemen. Think carefully on the path you tread. I am charitable and can understand if you are cold and hungry. But if you attack us I will kill you. Without hesitation, remorse, or regret."
Ha HA! I kill you with my flaming sword of doom. You die.
The man playing spokesperson sneered at Diegis. At least, Diegis thought it was a sneer, his accoster's face was far from clean.
"Tcah, boyo, 'tis nun of your bus'ness what we do with the tax. Now give me that machete sickle thing or whatever it is."
Diegis reached forward slowly as if to give up the weapon. He heard Enuyu's words right about then, too. Though he couldn't take the time to glance behind him. He'd get skewered if he took his attention off the lout talking. He did not even congratulate himself for guessing Enuyu's profession correctly. There were four of them and two behind his back. Her voice was calm and undaunted, too. But, it wouldn't matter. He'd seen bullies like this too many times before. They were outnumbered and bullies always went with the odds.
"Kel!"
A voice behind him spoke up.
"This one is not a little boy. It's a girl, chopped off hair and all."
Diegis winced outwardly. Inside, however, his thoughts were racing through his brain like a pack of antelopes. Just a few seconds more. That is all he needed. Just a few seconds for "Kel" to respond and when he did...
Diegis' pulse jumped, but his hand remained steady as a rock waiting for his chance to attack.
Post by Enuyu Suhishi on Feb 9, 2013 13:06:17 GMT -5
Enuyu sighed inwardly even as a certain specific fear tried to gnaw at her guts. It wasn't what the man had said, but how he had said it. She knew the tone that had crept into his voice, the way it raised the timber by a bare increment when he said 'girl'. Hard experience made her acutely aware of that sort of voice, and what it meant its owner was thinking of.
They had not yet attacked, but that voice was enough to clinch things for her. It was all she had to do to take a single step forward and pivot at her hips so she could drive her foot into the man who's voice had sealed his own fate. Her voice cried out in a ki that was magnified in the confines of the alley. She was small, but she moved with the speed of an angry cat and she knew how to drive an impact with every ounce of her body's weight behind it. The blow caught the man just under his ribs and was fierce enough to throw him off his feet. He didn't even have the chance to make a sound as the air almost exploded from his lungs. From the feel of it she was sure that at least two of his ribs had broken.
Before he had landed in a heap she was already preparing for what his partner would be doing. She gathered herself up, bringing her leg back to earth and squaring off with the man who now had his sword out with murder in his eyes. Her feet dug into the muck of the alleyway, and she felt the sureness of the earth under her, knew she could move where she needed to. In her mind the conclusion was foregone, it was only the motions that needed to be gone through now.
Last Edit: Feb 9, 2013 13:10:58 GMT -5 by Enuyu Suhishi
Ha HA! I kill you with my flaming sword of doom. You die.
Diegis ripped the falx forward. He was hoping to take off Kel's arm, not that it worked. Oh, he scored a deep line across the filthy man's flesh above the elbow and it caused a shriek of pain, but he wasn't down. Diegis also heard a nasty tone in the voice that given away Enuyu's gender. It made him angry. Actually, angry was too mild of a word; berserker fury worked much better. A berserker fury he had fallen into often as a boy, when his sister's feminine status was ridiculed.
He rushed Kel like a wild boar. He shoved him into a stack of barrels that had seen better days. Diegis pounded the other man against the earthen bricks of the wall behind them, barrels toppling over and thudding to the ground. His weapon was useless in such quarters, there was no space to swing it at all, not that he was even thinking about it at this point. He was enraged.
Luckily, for him, the barrels took out the wiry fellow who had been Kel's shadow. He was on his knees in the dirt searching for the leather wrapped club he carried to facilitate these encounters. The darkness was not helping him.
Meanwhile the man Enuyu had struck was barely managing breath, any other response was impossible. However, his companion had a blade out and seemed ready to attack or defend. At this point; though, and seeing the speed with which his companion had been incapacitated, he wasn't sure which option would be the better choice.
He wasn't a stouthearted soul. Is any bully? They are deceitful creatures, terrified of their friends and with no backbone to stand up for themselves. This one could have helped his compatriot tangled among the wine barrels, he was but a few steps away. With both of them on their feet surely they could deal with one small girl. Couldn't they? Of course, he never considered that. He was worried about his skin, or more correctly, his ribs. He had heard the crack. He did not want it to happen to him.
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
Post by Enuyu Suhishi on Feb 10, 2013 8:08:15 GMT -5
Enuyu stared down the man who was pointing a beaten but still lethal short sword at her. His hands were shaking, and the tip of his weapon wavered. He was angry, but also afraid. This was not how the plan had read. These two marks were supposed to have been cowed by numbers and handed over some coin and then everyone was supposed to move on. Instead one of his compatriots was on the wrong end of a savage beating, another was laying on his back desperately trying to breathe, and the last was fumbling in the dark for his weapon.
He wanted to run, but he was sure that if he did the little one would be on him before he got out of the alley. She was just so damn fast. So he did the only thing he thought he could do. He attacked her. Adrenaline made him quick, but fear made him sloppy and she saw it coming a mile away. It was telegraphed in the shift of his feet, the roll of a shoulder, and the sudden stillness of his blade when he finally committed to the decision to use it.
He lunged forward, leading with the tip of his blade, intent on skewering his enemy. But she was already side stepping by the time his blade was moving, and it impaled nothing aside from empty space. To his credit he was trying to recover the moment he recognized the situation, but it was already too late.
Watching Enuyu's fluid motion would do the spectator no justice in understanding the base violence of it. The arc of her path put her on the outside of his outstretched arm. An iron grip took hold of his wrist and twisted. The weapon fell away, and like the cheap metal it was it clattered on the ground instead of ringing.
She continued to twist, and the joints of the man's arm locked up, forcing him to his knees and then the ground. She could have stopped there, but she didn't. Her momentum continued and there was a wet pop as his shoulder disjointed. It was followed by another uncomfortable sound as ligaments in his elbow gave way, and finally there was a crackle as bones in his wrist broke. It happened so quickly the man only began howling at the end of it.
A quick glace told Enuyu that there was only one possible threat left in the alley; and not only was he still fumbling for his weapon but it appeared he would have Diegis to deal with momentarily.
Ha HA! I kill you with my flaming sword of doom. You die.
...and that's when the two lookouts posted on either side of the alley's mouth came darting into the fray. They considered running for only a minute or two, or maybe three or four. But, Kel was well known to hunt deserters down and peel the hide off their heads. They were more terrified of him than two strangers. Even if said strangers had brought down two of their fellows. Besides, wasn't one of them a girl?
Diegis had run Kel up against the wall. But, the alley pack leader was quite adroit in all manner of dirty tricks. Two short bladed daggers had been concealed beneath his shirt sleeve. They were cunningly fastened to his wrist and arm by some type of leather harness. In tight quarters they were outstandingly fast, too. Diegis was already bleeding from a half a dozen shallow slashes. They had only made him angrier.
Kel was suddenly flung into the air.
He needed space. There was the sound of racing footsteps and experience told him at least two others had joined the battle. He'd not seen Enuyu knock the first man down, but he certainly heard the yell. The other had been quiet until now. He couldn't let it distract. Kel was the most dangerous; without him the rest would scatter.
"Hey! Axe! Les! I need help!"
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
Post by Enuyu Suhishi on Feb 12, 2013 17:29:39 GMT -5
Enuyu silently swore to herself as things changed in a heartbeat.
Two more figures came into the alley.
She'd been lucky with the two she'd taken out of the fight; lucky they hadn't been faster or better or smarter. Or maybe the least skilled of the lot had been on her because they thought her nothing more than a boy of no consequence. It didn't matter. She was liking the situation less as time passed.
Worse, despite the beating and the throw Diegis had laid into him, the one called Kel was still up. It was difficult to make out because of the gloom in the alley, but she was sure there were weapons in his hands now.
Oh, and the last one had just found his club and was quickly finding his feet.
It was 2 on 1 again. But it was much worse than where they started from. There was no surprise to be had. They knew she was no slight boy to be dismissed. Their hands were already on their weapons.
The cheap short sword was snatched up from where it had fallen onto the cracked cobble and paving brick of the alley. She tested it's weight and threw it towards Kel. She had no skill with the weapon and doubted it was any real threat. But a blade tumbling through the air was something no one dared ignore. It would buy Diegis a critical moment. She hoped. Unfortunately, the trade was to cost herself a critical moment.
By the time she pivoted back to face the figures who'd just entered the alley their clubs were out and swinging at her. All she could do was fall back and try to defend herself.
Ha HA! I kill you with my flaming sword of doom. You die.
Diegis was in prime physical condition. It was possible he could have had more muscle on his frame, worked on them a little more, but he was a lean sort instead of a broad one; a wolf instead of a bear. He did not often grapple with his opponent and when he did he was not so foolish to latch on and never let go. He'd thrown Kel free for that very reason, so he could find a new and better attack position.
Which is why he saw the sword flung into the air, dark though it was in the back of the alley. Which is why he saw Kel's eyes flash to it, too. Which is why he went for the man's body right then and there. The one handed falx that he used mostly as a back-up weapon went whistling past his hip as he pivoted on one foot for a strike as the man's knees.
She had taken crucial time to help. He knew that and he couldn't get past the mental image of Enuyu being tossed from one brigand to another like some a piece of juicy fruit or bag of coins. It was unfair. She could handle herself if the shouts were anything to go by, but it was a damn persistent image. He let it fuel his hand, his mind, and his body.
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.