Gold-plated

[Chezak D'Maroe]

Chezak didn't bother saying anything more. He had seen people driven to this type of irrational hatred before, and knew nothing he said would stop what was coming.

As Maeve's cloak slipped to the ground, Chezak was nearly overcome with lust for the woman. He had managed to put away the feelings from their first encounter, but the increase in the power when the cloak slipped from her shoulders caught him off guard. Through sheer willpower, Chezak forced the feeling down, concentrating on the fighting ahead. He didn't think about why the feeling go stronger when the cloak was off, instead storing that information for later processing.

He watched the intricate way she handled her swords, knowing that if she stood before him as an opponent, he'd be hard-pressed to defeat her. Especially if she was so hell-bent and single-minded with her anger.

"We should think up a plan. No matter how good we are, if there are too many, they can still overwhelm us. Maybe put up your swords for now, and act the part of the defenseless woman until they're drawn out of the trees, and I'll shoot them from the side of the road. They won't see me or hear me until I come out with my falchion, once you're fully engaged."

He followed her at a safe distance, not liking this one bit, but unable to stop it or alter what was to happen. He rarely felt this helpless, and he didn't like it one bit. At all.

[Maeve]

Maeve listened with only half-interest in what Chezak was saying. That is, until he said, '...and act the part of the defenseless woman...' Abruptly she stopped in her tracks and stayed that way until he was finished with what he had to say. In the heavy silence between them, she wheeled about and walked up to him until she stood not a foot away, and kept moving if he backed up. Her swords were still hanging by her sides, but they could come up at a moment's notice to stab deep into his gut if she so wished. She did not look happy as she looked into his eyes.

"A defenseless woman?" she hissed angrily, as if trying to keep her voice down. She didn't think they were in earshot yet but better safe than sorry. "I am no longer a 'defenseless woman'. I can't be one anymore... Can't even appear to be one anymore... Not anymore. Look at me. Do I look defenseless to you?" Her right arm twitched upwards for but a moment before she could stop it; the other remained in its place. From then on she kept the swords forcefully by her side until both of her arms were shaking lightly with strain. She had to remind herself that he was good. It was hard with the hate boiling inside.

[Chezak D'Maroe]

That set her off. Chezak didn't back down when she came at him. His expression never changed, and he didn't have to force the neutral expression that came so naturally to him onto his face. He hadn't expected it, but something had made her promise herself to never be defenseless, and someone who had made a promise like that could be extremely dangerous if there was a possibility of feeling like that again.

Everything she had been doing and saying over the last few minutes made more sense now. Her reactions to the fact that there were men waiting to prey on innocent people, and the fact that she didn't think any authorities would handle it as well as she herself could.

Chezak didn't at all consider the danger he was in. Her magic pulled at his blood, sending it rushing through his veins as she stepped within inches of him. He barely kept his hand from coming up to brush a small piece of her bangs that had fallen near her left eye.

He let her speak in her angry whisper, his neutral mask not slipping at all. He forced feelings that stirred within to silence, and didn't move when her hand and sword came up a fraction towards him.

When she finished, he whispered back. "I didn't mean you were defenseless, because, as any fool with minimal sense could see, you are a dangerous individual. If this is what you wish to do, then let's do it. I just would like to avoid too much risk."

He paused, raising a hand to forestall any speech from her as he thought quickly. "Give me two minutes. Let me get into a position on their flank, then you rush in. With luck, I can take out two or three before they realize I'm behind them. Hopefully there won't be many more than that."

Without waiting for her answer, Chezak bounded into the trees on the side of the roadway Maeve had indicated the men were on. The brush barely rustled as he slipped by, dodging around trunks and leaping over fallen trees. He slowed when he heard voices, moving stealthily through the trees.

It had taken him only moments to get into position, and he felt time moving too quickly. He doubted Maeve would wait a full two minutes, if she waited at all.

He slipped closer, crouching behind a patch of brush surrounding a small evergreen. Several men were around a fire, eating and talking quietly amongst themselves. Chezak took a quick count. There were seven seated around the fire, and Chezak looked quickly around for any sentries that were posted. He saw one, a bare movement caught in the screen of bushes hiding the roadway from sight. They were good, but living in forests had taught Chezak how to notice things that were out of place.

Letting out a shallow breath to calm himself, Chezak quickly drew two more arrows from his quiver and placed them point down in the earth. He would be able to draw and fire more quickly if they were already out of his quiver.

He waited for Maeve.

[Anja]

Benjamin wasn't scared. He was more annoyed than anything. The fools thought they could rob him. When they found nothing on him, they thought they could ransom him. What would happen when they found they could not ransom him? Would they kill him? He was too old to be much afraid of death, but he had a lot to live for. So yes, maybe he was a little afraid. But he could literally see his customer's burrow, just a few hundred feet off into the woods. Bloody annoying.

A badger shifter was not the kind of creature you wanted to keep waiting. They were downright irritable at the best of times. And this one was half blind. He had actually come out of his burrow three times since Benjamin found himself bound and gagged at the feet of these lowlifes, and Benjamin had seen him working himself up, and getting angrier every time at the delay. It made the old elf want to pound his head against the steel-reinforced boots of his captors, as fourteen boots were the hardest thing his constricted frame had available to it.

He struggled with his knots some more, eliciting a vicious kick from one bandit. "Don' be too rough, this bugger looks pretty frail" said a voice. This brought snorts of laughter from all seven. Certainly not the brightest bunch... thought Benjamin. But they know their business uncannily well for being so vapid. They must have trained somewhere. Army defectors, possibly?

He could not spit out the blood that was forming in his gagged mouth, so he swallowed it. He wondered how much blood he had swallowed that day... He looked off through the trees to see the badger emerging a fourth time. Bloody hell...

[Maeve]

I didn't mean you were defenseless, because, as any fool with minimal sense could see, you are a dangerous individual. If this is what you wish to do, then let's do it. I just would like to avoid too much risk.

Maeve opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when he raised his hand. As he continued to speak she looked into each of his green eyes, one then the other, before focusing on his lips moving. He was so calm, so collected. Right now, that was what she needed. It allowed her to focus. He had asked for two minutes; she stayed where she was when he moved away, her gaze forward as if he was still there. He stealthily disappeared from view from the corner of her sight. The sounds of birds chirruping and the wind shaking the trees drowned out any sounds he now made.

Then she began to move. It had been two minutes, just like she had silently promised.

Sneaking was not one of her strong suits, but she was used to being in a forest. With skill the half-dryad avoided fallen sticks or branches hanging in her path as she stalked forward, but only with enough discretion to avoid making a racket. She failed to notice where Chezak was crouched; as a matter of fact, she didn't even look for him.

She reached the edge of the little clearing surrounded by bushes and crouched behind one with a big enough trunk to hide most of her form. They were sitting around a small fire and talking, completely oblivious to the fate that awaited them just seconds away. She assumed they could have heard her approach, but probably explained it away as an animal moving along. How arrogant, how ignorant; had they ever been in a live-or-die situation? They had made the world their enemy, so they should act as if they were in enemy territory, always be on guard.

Then she noticed a man, gagged and bound, lying opposite from where she was. Her lips curled into a sneer. The trees didn't know the difference between the bandits and the hostage, so they hadn't mentioned it. This was unexpected, and sort of unwelcome. Well, it was that guy’s lucky day.

Maeve rolled one of her shoulders, causing her long hair to slide behind her back, before she rose up and stepped from behind a tree. Without a word or posturing or any sort of warning, she sliced down at the closest man. The men's attention snapped to her, and as her blade came down they shouted in alarm and scrambled to their feet. The man who had received her sword through his neck fell back, choking on blood. She hadn't slashed deep enough to sever his spine, on purpose.

Then she whirled in a fluid motion with her other arm and sent her blade into the next rogue's head with a thunk. It wasn't with enough force to go through, so she twisted back and around, yanking her blade free at the same time as pushing his body in the direction of the force. His body tripped on itself and collapsed; when he hit the ground he was already dead. There was now blood spilled over the ground, splattered on the leaves and dirt, and spreading beneath the struggling and twitching forms of the men she had already killed.

[Chezak D'Maroe]

One of the men kicked at something on the ground, and Chezak could hear a muffled grunt of pain. It seemed these men had already garnered a prisoner from their time waiting on the road. He adjusted his stance to better see the new prisoner, but he was hidden behind a stump in the clearing.

His ears began to pick up the sounds of something approaching. It moved too quietly to be an animal, but was making enough noise for Chezak to pick it out against the background noise of the men murmuring to each other. It paused for a second, and Chezak began to draw his bow.

Suddenly, Maeve stood up from behind some brush and stepped into the clearing, unceremoniously striking the closest man to her. He spun away, blood spraying through the air as she spun gracefully one way then the other, and another man fell away from her. The remaining five in the clearing, getting over their shock, after the first man fell, were organized before the second fell.

Chezak had stood at the first blow, and now drew a bead on the closest man to Maeve. The man's right arm went up as he struck towards the seemingly defenseless Maeve pulling her sword from the second man's head, and Chezak loosed his arrow. It drove between two ribs below the upraised arm, piercing the man's lung. He fell like a stone.

Even before the first arrow had made contact, Chezak had pulled a second from the ground and was sighting down the arrow for another target. A man, probably one of those on watch for potential prey on the road, came rushing from the bush near Maeve as she engaged the next men approaching her.

Chezak drew and fired in a swift motion, the arrow whipping by the back of Maeve's head with scant inches to spare, burying itself in the man's throat.

[Anja]

As arrows started to fly, and swords began flashing, and cowards began yelling about doing something or other, Benjamin smiled a crafty old smile. Finally something was happening! He tried to keep an eye, or at least an ear on what was going on, now that the mongoloids were no longer focused on him. There seemed to be at least two attackers, and these (at least) two attackers seemed to be doing a bang-up job of things. And, to further evidence Fortune's change of heart, Sandwheel the badger had noticed the to-do, and was making a beeline straight for the bandit camp. More importantly, straight for him.

Sandwheel gnawed through Benjamin's bonds and whispered in his ear. "Ain't a bloomin' wonder yer late, I was about to get right ornery thur mate."

Benjamin began crawling away, following the badger, still gagged, until he was under the comforting shelter of an oak tree. He leaned against the great old thing and breathed heavily through his nose from the exertion. A trickle of blood ran out of the left nostril, and he sniffed it back up. "I'm just way too old fer this kind of garbage..."

[Maeve]

Maeve heard the sickening impact of the arrow into tender flesh behind her. She was too busy avoiding the body falling in front of her and looking for her next target to turn to see what had happened. However, she sensed something splatter on her, and turned her head enough to see the body fall, and then a man come running at her. She turned and raised her swords smoothly, but something whizzed by her head. She froze as she saw the arrow sticking out of the man's chest, before she whipped her head around and bored her eyes into Chezak's. Her mouth twitched into a smile before she turned back to the fight to jump and do a balletic twirl in the air, slicing deep into the man coming at her multiple times before he realized what had happened.

Shocked from the impacts, he stopped. As he stood there his outstretched arm fell off with a slick gush of blood. He gurgled in alarm as he looked at it, blood dripping out of his mouth. Then he fell, too.

By now the frenzy had overtaken her and there wasn't enough blood. The woman looked for the last two men. One of them started to run at Chezak, while the other looked into her eyes, hesitating. What he saw there obviously scared the living shit out of him, as he bolted for the road. She growled ferally and ran after him. He tripped over the bushes in the way and fell into the clinging branches.

She stabbed down, deep through his chest, as he screamed. She pulled it out just to stab it in again, and again, and again, until he was a motionless, bloody mess. She stood there breathing hard, shaking with excitement, before she thought about the last man who had gone for Chezak. Maeve turned and looked around the clearing with red eyes.

[Chezak D'Maroe]

Chezak met Maeve's eyes for a moment before turning back to the battle. He noticed movement to his right, and out of the bushes crept a badger. Chezak stared at it in disbelief for a moment as it made it's way towards the captive on the ground, and that second moment almost cost him his life.

He sensed more than saw the movement to his left, and instead of moving back, he dropped his bow and dove forward further into the clearing. He felt the short sword of the brigand tug at his ponytail as it passed through the air he had occupied a mere moment before.

Chezak rolled to his feet and turned, fluidly drawing his falchion. The brigand had followed closely, and Chezak turned the drawing of his sword into a block. He pushed the brigand's sword high and riposted straight forward, almost skewering the man, who stepped back just out of the falchion's reach.

The two backed up slightly, each taking the others measure as they waited for the other to make the first move. Chezak glanced towards Maeve, who was suddenly running into the bushes after one of the other men.

The brigand took the opportunity to step forward and send a backhand blow designed to decapitate Chezak. The elf brought the falchion up to deflect the blow and ducked slightly to allow it to pass barely over his head, bringing his second hand up to grip the extra length of hilt of his falchion. He rolled both wrists and turned the parry into a diagonal cut while the man was trying to recover.

The falchion bit deep into the man's collarbone, driving him down to one knee. Weakened, the man could only look up at Chezak as the elf placed a boot on his chest and yanked the sword out of the trap of bone. The man fell backward, staring sightlessly up into the sky.

Chezak turned quickly and surveyed the rest of the clearing. He saw nothing of the badger or the captive, and Maeve was also nowhere to be found.

Taking a few steps back towards his bow, he called out softly, "Maeve?"

[Anja]

As the sound of killing faded into that eerie silence that always follows a bout of bloodshed, Benjamin chanced a peep around the trunk of the tree. He whispered to Sandwheel. "Bloody hell, friend, I think these two killed off the whole gang... Imagine what they could do with Anja's weapons..."

Sandwheel blinked at this, and even gave a shudder. "I don't wanna think about that, fella. Are we gonna get going soon, or what?"

Benjamin gave the badger a strange, admonishing look. "Without even sayin' thank you to these folks? I ain't a badger, remember."

At this provocation, Sandwheel cuffed the old elf gently on the skull, polite enough to take it easy on him considering the beatings he had just suffered. "Respect yer elders, asshole."

Benjamin countered with a wink and said "The only difference between disrespect and condescension is age, old boot."

He stood up slowly and painfully, and walked around the tree trunk. Bodies were everywhere... He saw the elf, but the crazy woman evaded his eye for the present. Unsettling... Holding his left wrist and rubbing out the chafe of his bonds, he spoke awkwardly. "G'day, friend. Thanks fer that, I mighta been stuck 'ere fer ages, or killed."

[Maeve]

Smiling, Maeve emerged from the brush, splattered with blood and bits of gore. She had heard the soft whisper of her name and came to where she was called. Drunk on the scent of blood, she walked in a daze over to where Chezak was picking up his bow. She looked at the dead body of the last bandit as she walked by, but otherwise seemed uninterested. Her eyes came up to Chezak's, pulsing red now rather than green as before.

Her excitement was almost tangible, seeming to fill up the clearing. It was like the light was hitting only her, causing her dark hair to shine and her face to glow. Maeve's beauty was suddenly striking in the way the awe of nature overtakes mankind when gazing at a mountain high above.

She ignored the former prisoner that, to her, was somehow magically freed, and looked only at Chezak. He had blood on him, too, and she allowed her eyes to travel over his body, seeking out the wet red spots, and otherwise trying to discern what he looked like under his garments.

[Chezak D'Maroe]

Chezak bent to pick up his bow, still listening for sounds of movement. As his left hand closed on the bow, a brief rustle indicated someone joining him in the clearing. He stood swiftly, leveling the point of his falchion at the former prisoner.

The elf spoke, and Chezak listened, relaxing slightly as the fellow showed his discomfort. As he opened his mouth to reply, Maeve strolled into the clearing. She walked like a predator whose hunger had just been sated, and a satisfied expression graced her beautiful face. Chezak fought the rising lust within again, pushing it back to the far reaches of his mind.

He felt nearly naked before her as she looked him up and down, her own lust obvious on her face. It had been a long time since anyone had made him feel like this, and he wasn't so sure it was a good thing.

Chezak stared back at her without speaking, the former prisoner forgotten for the moment, wondering at the pulsing red light within her eyes. He knew she was different than just a simple human woman, but what could that light mean?

[Anja]

Just as Benjamin was about to get offended at not getting a reply, he retracted his indignation in light of the macabre beauty that had so drawn his rescuer's attention. Sandwheel leaned over and tugged at Benjamin's sleeve, saying wide-eyed, "Mate, this 'un's trouble if I ever seen it. You better cut yer pecker off before she gets to your head."

Benjamin didn't reply to this crude advice, instead dropping to his knee and offering his name to the lady. Despite the fact that neither of the two seemed to notice his presence, Benjamin found that it never did well to forgo the basic courtesies. Besides, he thought to himself, I don' want to get on the wrong side o' this pair...

[Maeve]

Chezak just stood there looking back at her, making no move to hide or stop her from looking him over. She took that as a good sign, and an invitation. She sheathed her swords as she allowed her hunger for him to show. Freed of her burden and smiling lusciously, she walked over, a casual stride with too much hip movement to be natural, until she was standing in front him within a rather uncomfortably close distance. He was even better up close. A warrior’s strength radiated off of him, making her lick her lips.

“You are quite good with that bow of yours,” she said, her voice deeper and whispery as if she was talking about something naughty and not about his fighting skill. Her fingers found the closest edge of the bow in a tentative touch, feeling the smooth wood, her eyes studying the wood along with her fingers. This went on but a moment before she retracted her touch to rest on her hip and looked back up at him. With that look her other hand came up and felt along his smooth jaw with a fingertip, grazing her nail lightly on his skin. “Mmm,” she hummed. “I think we make an excellent team.”

Despite how calm she appeared as she interacted with Chezak, the bloodlust was still pumping within her, making the world brighter than it should be, the smells more potent, the sounds ringing louder in her head. Everything was more vibrant and she felt so alive, as the tang of blood filled the air around her. Her chest was heaving, lightly but noticeable, the only bodily sign that she was on edge. Her eyes were still infused with red, revealing her state more obviously than the rest of her.

Maeve was too excited. The only way she wanted to come down was in Chezak’s arms, feeling the heat of someone else. Tasting and feeling life. She took a step closer to him, bringing them so close that she could feel his breath. He didn’t move away, lost in her enchantment, she assumed. She raised both hands to his chest and studied his face, which was unreadable. He was so much taller than her. Her hands roamed upwards, feeling the soft fabric of his shirt, until they were behind his neck. She put pressure there until he leaned forward stiffly and she tilted her head.

When her lips touched his, the world narrowed in until it consisted of only Chezak. The kiss was a barely gentle touch at first, until she pressed forward, firmly pressing herself against him. An euphoria spread through her.

She was so alive.

[Chezak D'Maroe]

Chezak fought the feeling of lust that threatened to envelope him. It radiated from Maeve, which confused him. She didn't have her cloak on, which he had assumed was part of the reason he felt the way he did towards her. He could sense the magic emanating from the bracelet she wore, and could tell that it's output had increased.

Before he realized it, she was standing uncomfortably close to him. His face was an unreadable mask, hiding the struggle he was on the verge of losing to the lust caused by this beautiful creature before him. He barely heard her speaking about his skill with a bow, but his eyes followed hers down to her fingers as she softly explored his bow. The lust increased, but still he fought it.

“I think we make an excellent team.”

Her chest heaved as she stepped closer to him, the fabric of their clothes barely touching. Everything seemed to fade away except Maeve as all of Chezak's concentration bent towards fighting off the lust. She touched him, and he could feel the heat of her hands on his chest, his shoulders, the back of his neck. His will almost gave in, which allowed her to pull his head closer to her own level.

Their lips touched, and Chezak was transported to a word strictly of touch and feeling. His eyes narrowed to slits as he felt her tongue slip between his lips to lightly touch his own. He responded, letting his tongue move against hers.

But something wasn't right. It was this thought that brought him back to himself, and allowed him to shed the feelings he couldn't explain.

Roughly, he pulled back and grabbed Maeve by the shoulders, forcing her back a step. His eyes flickered to the other elf, on his knees near them.

With a lack of anything else to say, Chezak forced one sentence from his confused mind. "We have company, Maeve."