The Wolf and the Ranger

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   Metal armor clanked and shifted, breaking the forest's silent tension. Fluttering in the wind, the jet black cape flew its wolf insignia freely. Wolf's  expression was hard as stone, his piercing blue gaze scanning the treeline for any signs of motion. His hand always rested on the hilt of his blade. Always ready. Always prepared. 

    Though his stay at the country's capital may have been short, he didn't leave any time wasted. The pack hanging on his lower back was packed full of necessary supplies, and tucked into his wrist armor was a sheet of paper. The bounty Wolf had snagged from The Mermaid's harbor. This journey was not to be another frivolous one. The hardened northerner had a purpose. The journey, however, would take time. If he kept detours down, the warrior would make his destination in a few days or so. 

    Twigs and fallen leaves crunched beneath his boots, each footfall leaving a distinct print. Wolf wasn't cautious. If something or someone came for him, then he'd face it. It was a special type of confidence. One which disregarded care of his safety entirely. Should he die, then that was that. But even if the man left a trail, he'd ensure that any would-be assailants would have one bitch of a time trying to fell the wolf. 

    Wolf's armor wasn't the only thing metal. 

    It wasn't like this concept was unwarranted, either. The man had many... shall we say... altercations throughout his life. A varied and flavorful mix of assassins after his head, bandits looking for an easy hit, mercenaries hired for their expertise in removing special individuals, and a few latent criminals all had made their attempts. The fact that he was still standing, with nary a missing limb said all there was left to say on the subject. Less of an open book, more of a short story. No reason to include the fluff. 

    Besides, Wolf was fully aware he wasn't alone in these woods.

    The trouble came in discerning intent. The knight could feel the other presence, tell it simply by the air.  But there was always a subtle... hint... when it was malicious. Almost unrecognizable to someone inexperienced in such things. One had to know what to look for. The little things. Eyes burning into your neck. The scent of death. The aura of bloodlust. Malevolence had it's own flavor that pulled it away from the normal world. A flavor this presence lacked.

    Wolf slowed to a stop. The shifting of metal quieted. Frigid blue eyes moved before the head did, tracking, searching, cutting through the undergrowth. No attacks came. I didn't know anyone actually lived in these woods. The young man mused. Should I ignore it? There's no reason to bother a local.

    And yet... 
    
    "Whoever's out there. Come out. Show yourself." The man couldn't tell the exact direction the presence lurked from. However the knowledge that it was there was enough. Perhaps the presence was simply coincidental? A hunter looking for prey, just happening to be close to the trail? The world was vast and filled with many different curiosities. A woodland hermit was probably the most normal thing on that list. But on that note, crazy woodland hermits were also entirely part of the norm. And Wolf really didn't feel like having mud slung at the back of his head... again...

     

[warmasterghandi]

   
"And if I don't?" the voice replied, sounding extremely bored, a dark shadow dropping down to a layer of branches several feet above Wolf's head, silver eyes staring out of the dark accusingly. "The locals usually know better than to wander out in my corner of the woods, you must be new." the someone continued, two points of red just barely visible as he jumped to another tree, surveying Wolf with a hunter's eye. 

He knew that this stranger must've been good in a fight, the countless scratches and occasional dent mute testament to that fact, and the way his eyes made to follow his movements suggested that he was also well trained, in addition to being good at mindless violence. "What brings you to my woods, stranger? You look as though you've packed for a long journey" the Ranger asked, slowly knocking an arrow to his longbow: he'd run into a fair amount of bandits that sought to use his woods as their playground over the years, and wanted the first strike. It was now the armored man's move. 

[Sparky]

[Refs]

   "Boy, you best put that arrow back in your quiver." The man's voice was calm and chilling. Wolf sucked in a breath through his nose. He could see the world around him through the scents alone. His eyes glowed subtly, as every detail illuminated itself to him. Green for plants, hard gray for the soil. Red for those who were alive. Without even turning his head, he knew the exact position the archer was at, how far back he'd drawn his bow, precisely where he was aimed. "If you're going to play a game of hide and seek, I'd suggest picking a different tree." 

    "I didn't come here for a fight, and if you want to keep your hands, then I'd suggest lowering that bow." Wolf gave no signs of drawing his weapon. It was impossible to read him. The man's body language never broke for a second, and his expression was as placid as ever. One thing was clear;
    
    He had no interest in fighting his would-be adversary. 

    wolf watched Asmodai without turning his head, using the scents of the world around him to paint the picture in his mind. Numbers worked in his head, judging the best course of action should the boy shoot the way he was currently aiming. Certainly, his agility was impressive. But he was cocky. He was wide open, if Alec were to launch a projectile at him, the young archer would be dead to rights. 

    Obviously he wasn't used to fighting an experienced adversary. Perhaps he'd had his own fill of bandits, and it filled him with youthful confidence? Wolf couldn't say he knew that sensation, but he certainly knew many soldiers in the northern army who did. 

    "Last time I checked, these woods weren't owned by anyone. Save for the gods." The knight didn't turn towards the ranger as he spoke, he was less threatening that way. In theory. Though, it was hard to say when Alec openly admitted to knowing what the boy was doing every step of the way. This is why Alec hated dealing with hermits. They always brought some sort of difficulty to the table. 'This piece of grass is mine, if you step on it I'll shoot yer dick!' or 'This tree is my wife, how dare you try to use it for firewood, I'll shoot yer dick!' or 'Oh gods, oh gods you've stabbed me, I'm bleeding! I'll shoot yer dick!' 

    You know, in hindsight that one crazy cannibal hermit might not have been the best judge of character. Not everyone who lived in the woods fucked trees and tried to eat travelers. Some of them fucked other strange things and tried to eat travelers. Ok fine, yes, not all of them fucked strange things and tried to eat people. He's just still upset some crazy old man tried to nibble on his bits and shoot him in the dick, anyone would be justifiably upset at that.

    Wolf's point still stood. 

    "I'm simply traveling through to complete a bounty from the City of Avalon. That some sort of crime out here?" One by one, his fingers raised and lowered, flexing to ensure his hand was ready should it have to come to a fight. Wolf certainly hoped it wouldn't, this ranger seemed like a perfectly nice young lad... 

    Wolf would certainly hate to kill him.

SPOILER: Click to show

Spell name: Prey Sense
Spell Main Element: War
-Spell Sub Elements: N/A
Affinity Strength: 2
Function: The caster heightens their senses like a predator, allowing them to seek out their target and hunt them down efficiently. The stronger the affinity, the further away they can sense their target, increasing by 2 yards per affinity level. 
Availability: Open

[warmasterghandi]

   
"Woah woah woah woah take it easy old timer!" Asmodai exclaims, lowering his bow and raising his hands in surrender "I thought you were one of those bandits that's been roaming around recently, and that little routine usually scares em off" he says, slinging his weapon around his should just in case "It's no crime to complete a bounty, and I don't really own these woods: it's an unspoken agreement between me and the townsfolk. I leave them alone except to trade pelts for supplies, they stay out of this neck of the woods. It works, even if it does get lonely..." Asmodai continues, sighing heavily before plopping down on a lower branch "What sort of bounty are you doing?" 

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Old timer?" Wolf shot a glance right back towards Asmodai, brow quirked. "Boy, I'm barely twenty-three. If you think that's old then I don't wanna see what kind of life expectancy you all have out here." 

    The warrior turned around fully to face the younger boy, studying him up and down. He had a much more youthful appearance, and certainly didn't look as though he'd gotten into many fights. That little trick, jumping about, though would certainly frighten a bandit grunt something fierce. Asmodai was lucky, so far, as it seemed he hadn't come across anyone more... experienced that would lend challenge or threat to his life and domain. The warrior spit off to the side and allowed his hand to relax slightly, though it didn't leave his sword entirely. 

    It seemed that the arrival of interlopers was not an entirely unusual situation in this part of the country. Then again, bandits pretty much ran wild all over the periphery. Any city worth its salt even had to bolster their own defenses against incursions, or others like Blackmarsh sheltered, or even bred new, stronger, fiercer criminal elements. Or even made them enforcers amongst their ranks. Any village that wasn't strong enough to defend themselves got the shit end of the deal, and it really depended on how generous their criminal counterparts felt like being. Either they pay tithes, or they get raided. 

    Sometimes both, if they were feeling particularly spicy. 

    "About those bandits..." It was no stretch to say the rampant growth of bandit groups out in the periphery was becoming a problem of sorts. A plague, even. Only one real cure for something like that; Send in the experts. And in terms of waging war, Wolf was one of the best. "...I'm here to take care of that little problem of yours."

    Wolf jerked his head back in the direction of the village, freeing the bounty from within his chest armor. "Seems you aren't the only one having issues with them. They're starting to encroach upon the village limits, raiding caravans and travelers. Let's say I'm here to... negotiate new terms with them. One way or the other, they aren't going to be bothering you or that village for much longer."

    Bandits always grew bold eventually. Never were they content just sticking to their holes. Eventually they'd crawl out, push their boundaries. Test just how far they could go. Perhaps it was just nature of people. Didn't matter which end of the morality spectrum you swung towards, ambition was the strongest drug there was. Wolf had even heard that in certain parts of the country, particularly ruthless bandit lords had started growing armies with plans to try to take on the capital itself. Whether such a gambit would work, and what would happen if it did was entirely uncertain. It was completely unknown if the gods would allow such a thing to happen either.

    Thinking about gods getting involved... almost didn't seem fair. Always seemed like their presence almost always took out some of the excitement and danger in the world. That certainly brought up the question of allegiances as well, how would one god react if a bandit raised an army in their name? It was just the next level of politics. Something Wolf... didn't care for. 

    "So..." Wolf pulled himself out of his thoughts and back to the young hunter before him. "... you gonna let me pass, or...?"

[warmasterghandi]

   

"I mean you seem about as experienced as an old timer, you've got the weapons and armor of one so..." Asmodai begins, shrugging offhandedly as he adjusts his position on the tree branch. "Yeah it's probably smart that someone like you is going to take care of them. I kinda wish I could take them out by myself but I don't think I'm strong enough to take out an entire camp by myself..." he continued, eyes widening slightly as a thought strikes him "Hey you were gonna go take them out right? Mind if I tag along? I could give you some ranged cover while you go in and smash some skulls. Sound good?" 

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Wolf's mouth opened, as if to shoot down the idea. However, before he got the chance to, the warrior stopped. His right hand went to his chin, rubbing it as the thought mulled over in his head. He's young, inexperienced, but he's also been taking care of these bandits for a while on his own. Plus, he likely has a better lay of the land than I do. The knight locked eyes with the ranger, folded his arms across his chest, and gave a curt nod. "Fine. I'll allow you to accompany me on my journey. As long as you can keep up and don't slow me down." 

    The man turned his back to Asmodai, pausing to speak. "You may call me Wolf." And then he continued walking. His path was now clear, and Wolf didn't give even a second to wait for his potential compatriot. "I'm not going to save you, just so you know." He called back. "Your life is your own responsibility.  If you'd like to keep the blood out of your throat, I trust you'll do your best to keep it that way." 
    
    Lives carried weight. A weight that Wolf was unable to bear. As such, it wasn't shocking to see him separate himself from Asmodai. The boy chose to join him, and his choices would be the ones to keep him alive- not Wolf's. Should the ranger fall, there was no bond between the two warriors to be severed.

    Just passing souls.

    It was an impersonal way of living, but the scars upon Wolf's body each told the story of how he became this way. A lone soldier was an easy book to read, though the details were lost upon his icy expression. The north had bred wolf to be hard, the harsh winters froze his heart. Unfortunately, his pity well had bottomed out a long time ago. Or, at least, these were the things he told himself. However, he was still human. Death was sudden and unforgiving, and it was always hard to brace yourself completely. 

    Wolf could tell himself he didn't care as much as he liked, but looking into the lifeless eyes of allies was never an easy thing to do. Even for a man as experienced as he. Experience certainly softened the blow, but pain was never erased. 

    The path was quiet, eerie, as the two traveled. A cool mist flowed between the trees, growing thicker and thicker every meter. For the first time since the duo had left, the knight halted and took in the growing fog. He took it in and nodded. "This fog will help conceal our approach..." He looked back towards Asmodai. "Though, I don't know how that will effect your archery. Can I still expect you to support me, even if you have to enter in close with the enemy?" 

    With an expectant stare, the northern warrior turned his gaze towards his companion. "Otherwise, this is your last chance to back out. I cannot, and will not guarantee your safety. Do you understand?" 

[warmasterghandi]

   

"Sure, I can give you some covering fire. I'm not the BEST with a sword but hopefully it won't have to come to that, Mr Wolf." Asmodai replied, hoping down onto the ground and dusting himself off before taking up a position behind Wolf. "Attacking through fog is pretty smart, that way they won't see us coming. Do you know if there are any wizards/bowmen I should take out first? Is there a compound?" the Ranger asked, quickly getting down to business.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Most, if not all of them are mages of some sort. I don't know about any bowmen, but the fog will make it more difficult for them to spot or fire upon us regardless. Remember what I said about watching your own back and, do me a favor." Wolf's crystal blue eyes didn't look towards Asmodai as the man drew his sword, nice and slow. "Try not to get yourself killed." 

    "Let's go."

[Alec/Asmodai Bounty] - A Dance In the Night