Every Story Has A Beginning...

[Zeth Gurido]

The Woods of Agrebach, known for it's terrible wilderness, beasts, and darkness. There was a morning fog at the moment, all the creatures either awaking for a new dawn or drifting into a sleep from a long night.

Out of the fog, three figures appeared, each unique in characteristics. The one at the head looked in his late-thirties, a former knight of the Fabrith Kingdom, carried a lance at his side and a bag over his shoulder. His face was that of a noble, but hardened by his military past. Behind him, a much younger teen, two blades at his side, azure eyes a light, and a grin on his face. From the distant land of Chorros, his spirit brimming with adventurous ideals. Lastly, taking up the rear, a blond haired girl, appearing a similar age of the boy, stepped through the fog. Though grinning like her companion, her thoughts weren't adventurous, but sly, like the clever fox.

Sasuke, the male teen, put his hands behind his head, looking around, interested in the darkness that surrounded him. He took in a deep breath, but then started coughing, and as he took his hand from his mouth, he spotted a stray beetle, thankfully not dangerous to humans. The girl, Cycia, laughed folding her arms while she did it. "Jeez, it's not time for breakfast yet Sasuke, wait for me to find something that's edible here," she chuckled. The old knight, Drace, laid his hand on Cycia's shoulder, shaking his head. "Can't you go five minutes without making fun of someone?" he asked intently. "Yeah, C.C., lighten up..." Sasuke managed to say, still coughing a bit from the beetle. Cycia looked at Sasuke with her eyes like emerald flames. "I told you not to call me that! Jeez, can't anything get through that thick skull of yours?" Cycia scolded. Sasuke looked about ready to state a comeback, but Drace stood between them before it could go any further. Drace always seemed to be the father figure of the group, being the oldest, wisest, and (Sasuke wouldn't really listen to him without him being the) strongest, he fell to him to keep Sasuke and Cycia from wringing each others necks.

Sasuke sighed, knowing he should just stop now before a fight broke out, he looked at Cycia, asking, "So, how far from these 'ruins' should we be by now?" Cycia, examining her braid, looked up and looked up into the canopy of branches that blocked the sun. "We shouldn't be a long ways away from the City, but we should still watch for anything that could come out and attack, including drago-" "Don't feed me that tale again!" Sasuke spoke hastily, interupting Cycia, "Dragons don't exist! They are just folklore, like many other stories." Cycia, looking back with a surprising calm, sighed and turned around to look the opposite direction. "Ok, don't say I didn't warn you..."

Drace, still between the two of them, sighed, hefting his lance over his shoulder. He didn't truely feel whole without the armor he left in Issil with an old friend. However, he needed to travel light for this journey, so not to waste time. Doing so could cause an incident with something they didn't want to meet. Looking back and forth between Sasuke and Cycia, he spoke, "Alright, we've been traveling for hours since our last break. Lets stop here for now, and then we will continue towards the ruins." Both Sasuke and Cycia exchanged neutral glances, and then nodded back at Drace. Setting the bag down, Drace sat next to the nearest tree, with Sasuke and Cycia following suit.

Only half an hour later, Cycia had fallen asleep leaning on her tree, while Sasuke and Drace watched the fire intently. Sasuke, looking up at Drace, openned out to speak, only to pause at the cracking of branches nearby. Drace, looking up from the flames, his eyes serious, motioned towards Cycia. After shaking Cycia awake and muttering what was happening, Sasuke put his hands on the blades to his side, ready to draw at a moments notice. Cycia, though still drowzy from her nap, got into a fighting stance, ready to fight as fiercly as Sasuke. Drace, the most experinced in this type of situation, kept still, not moving much except to breathe. What seemed like an eternity later, a new sound rose from the Woods, similar to the hissing of that of a snake.

"Hello, fresh meat...Kekekeke........"

[Zeth Gurido]

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice....up. Staring into the canopy, the three could see two gleaming eyes, hungry for blood. With a rustle of leaves, the figure jumps down, in the center of the three and looks Sasuke in the eyes.

The man, if he could be called one, was pale from lack of sunlight. His face held hollowed cheek-bones, a scar from a blade from his forehead down to his chin, sinister gray eyes...well eye really. The man's left eye was covered by cloth, tied behind his head like that of a headband. The hair was dark-gray, long and held in a ponytail behind his head. He wore garments made from beast hides, resembling a shirt w/ no sleaves, long pant-legs, a gauntlet on his right hand, and worn-down boots. He held a long curved dagger in his left hand, stained with blood.

The man, or who looked more like one of the bandits that work within the Woods of Agrebach, wore a grin, like his eyes, hungry for blood. Sasuke, holding the hilts of his katanas tightly, matched his grin. "Well, since you're outnumbered, shouldn't you call your friends out from the shadows?" Sasuke asked intently. Both Cycia and Drace looked surprised by this comment, but the bandit just laughed his demented laugh.

"Kekekekekeke......You think you can trick my fellows into the light? You're wrong! Kekekekekeke!" Sasuke's grin became even wider as the bandit said those words, and the bandit looked back frowning. "Well, more fun for me then...." Sasuke said friendly, and a dismaid look came from both the bandit and Cycia, while Drace quickly flipped his lance around and stabbed backwards into the shadows, where the sound of contact with flesh rang out. The bandit turned quickly to see what had happened, only to be stabbed though the chest with a katana's blade. "Pfft, I hate killing, but people like you deserve to die..."

Pulling his blade back out of the bandit's back in synch of Drace pulling his lance back to him, Sasuke watched the bandit's and his compainion's bodies fall to the ground. The other had similar clothing than the one he just slew, made from animal hide. He looked at Cycia who was looking around the shadows, since she was good at this type of thing.

"How many?" Drace said calmly as he stood up from wiping the blood on his lance onto it's victim's clothing. "About a dozen more, though they've backed up a bit. Probebly shock from their compainions' deaths, but they're still surrounding us." Drace sighs at hearing this, "Why does this never get any easier?" Sasuke bends down and wipes off the blood on his blade on the bandit's clothes and looks up at Drace. "Well, on the bright side, at least this won't be a dull..."

[Zeth Gurido]

Sasuke looked around a smirk on his face. He knew they would come out eventually, even though they had lost the element of surprise. Most bandits were idiots that way, he didn't know why. Drawing his second sword, he looked out into the darkness, waiting for the second he saw someone charge into the clearing.

Cycia sighed, watching Sasuke with that deranged look on his face. He always seemed so reckless, though she didn't know how he could have lived this long in his life. Standing up, Cycia pulled out a metal claw from a pocket in her leggings. It was a shame she had to keep her identity as a druidok secret, or she would use natural claws, which were much more effective in her opinion.

Drake watched both Cycia and Sasuke turn toward the darkness, making a triangle between the three of them. Both were bright kids, though it might take more than a bit of positioning to take care of the bandits. Shrugging this thought off, he turned his own way towards the darkness. Doubt was always a weapon for his enemy, his mentor had taught him.

Sasuke, watching and waiting, yawned perposely, edging the bandits to strike, and like bolt from a crossbow, a pair of bandits darted at Sasuke, one with a pair of daggers, the other with a small axe. Grinning at the challenge, Sasuke positioned his blades to parry. The first of the bandits slashed down with his axe, pushing one of the blades down, and threw a punch at Sasuke's face. Sasuke, ducking down easily, slashed upwards at the bandit, cutting through the flesh of his bicep.

Crying out in agony the first fell backwards, dropping his axe, as the second bandit charged up and swung a dagger for the throat. Sidesteping away from the dagger, Sasuke swung again to disarm, only to have an arrow stick out of his own shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke backed up, enduring the pain as well as he could. The pain surged though his whole arm, making it difficult for him to grip his sword correctly. Looking back at the bandit, or at least where it should of been, the bandit he wounded and the one that had daggers had retreated back into the darkness. Stabbing one sword in the ground, Sasuke grabbed the arrow lodged in his shoulder, and pulled it out quickly. Still enduring, Sasuke threw the arrow into the darkness. "This might be more trouble than I thought guys...." Sasuke spoke seriously. No more fun, time to get serious.

[Bastian Farix]

And he had just gotten to sleep, too.
Bastian shifted into his humanoid form, squinting at the trio around the fire. He had ignored them at first, preferring to stay safe in the tree he was in, but now...well, the bandits made a big difference. Firstly the fact that he refused to even consider abandoning anyone in trouble (so long as they were people he would want to help), but also the fact that the bandits blocked any chance of him retreating unseen. They may have been stupid, but they wouldn't take kindly to any kind of animal trying to slip away. So what to do...
He winced when the boy was shot. I could at least take out the archer. But where-ah, lookie there! As luck would have it, the bowman in question was on the other side of his tree, focused on the three in the center. Cautiously edging behind the archer with bated breath, Bastian pulled an arrow out of the quiver.
Then he hesitated. But only for an instant.
The archer hadn't counted on being stabbed in the back of the neck, apparently.
Hauling the archer onto a wider branch, Bastian finally breathed out, slinging the quiver across his own back. He couldn't' be transforming any time soon, so he needed something. Now to look for another opening.

[Zeth Gurido]

Cycia shifted her glance beyond the darkness of the Woods. She though there was someone of her own race here, but never expected the druidok to get involved. Just moments later, quiet muttering was occur with in the darkness. The bandits had found out that one of their own was missing. Cycia grinned, and readied her claw just in case they charged. This was going to be one heck of a fight.

Drace shifted on the balls of his feet, watching carefully into the darkness. It seemed that something was to happenning among the bandits, though unsure what it was, he was sure it could work to their advantage.

Sasuke grabbed his other sword, glaring into the darkness into the eyes he couldn't see. He grinned, trying to psyche them out, and then started rubbing his blades together, making a metallic sound. Be patient, and an opertunity will come.

[Bastian Farix]

((Didn't give me too much to work with, but I'm fine with that. XD))
Maybe Bastian hadn't been as stealthy as he thought. That was bad.
Not too bad, though, considering they had no clue where he was. But still, if they knew he was around...he'd have to be more cautious, and he'd have to move fast. The bandits' morale was breaking, and it should only take a little push to get it over with. But how to do it without being seen?
In a single, idiotic moment, Bastian's foot snapped a small branch that by a single, idiotic coincidence hit a bandit on the head. Bastian froze, nearly relaxing as the bandit looked from side to side, rather than up. But then he looked up.
Both of them stared at each other for a moment. Then, smiling a disgusting smile, the bandit opened his mouth to alert his comrades, who, fortunately for Bastian, had been prowling some distance away. But, unfortunately for him, Bastian was again faster. Which is why the arrow down his throat worked at all.
That was close, Bastian thought, slipping over to another tree. I was almost caught... He would have to be more careful, because one mistake would cost him his life.

[Zeth Gurido]

Sasuke stood still rubbing his blades together, waiting for the slightest movement. As if called on the whim, the bandits emerged onto Sasuke and the group, surrounding them. However, since they had a weaken morale, Sasuke had an advantage. The one with the daggers charged towards him once again, only to find decapitation within seconds. Two more behind their fallen comrade paused, looking at Sasuke with fear. Sasuke only narrowed his eyes. This was going much easier than he thought it would.

Drace gripped his lance with both hands, swinging in a vertical motion, cutting into a bandit's torso, between the ribs and into the lung. The bandit coughed up blood as he fell to the ground, along with another who Drace impaled seconds later. Drace noticed there were fewer than there was supposted to be. Almost if an unknown ally was helping them.

Cycia shifted her muscles to be stronger as she threw a bandit into another. Her eyes were cat-like, though in the shadows the bandits couldn't tell. With another bandit charging at her, she took her metal claw and drove it through the bandit's throat. Bringing her arm back, the bandit collapsed, another of their number down. Cycia looked up into the trees and saw the Druidok that had been helping them. She gave the male a warm smile before turning back to the fight. It was still far from over.

[Bastian Farix]

The girl had to be a Druidok. Nobody but Bastian had noticed the shifting of her muscles, the vertical slits her eyes had changed into; but most Druidoks paid close attention to detail. Plus, the fact that she had obviously seen him, just as easily as he could see her.
Bastian quickly found out that he had bigger problems as a knife was pressed to his throat. A voice breathed in his ear, "Be quiet, or your head will be down there in a second."
How had someone snuck up on him? There was no way to tell, so Bastian kept his voice measured and quiet. "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" the voice asked. "Nothin' from you but mum. You got that? Mum."
"So, you just want me to be quiet?"
"Ain't that what mum usually means? Let me make it simple: be quiet, or I slit yer throat."
Well, that was informative. "Why?"
"'Cause I'm tryin' to escape, see? I was a member of them losers, but I decided to leave-"
"Obviously."
"-so I'm just gonna slip away, with you bein' mum, and I'll take that book o' maps you got in yer pocket-"
At this point, the man reached around to steal Bastian's most prized possession, and quickly found his hand stuck fast to the tree by an arrow. He was too surprised to cry out, giving Bastian time to deliver a killing blow: arrows to the throat and head.
Sickened but determined, Bastian relaxed a bit, staring at the dead man. It was impossible to determine his exact age, but it didn't matter. He wasn't going to be getting any older.
Taking a deep breath, Bastian turned back to the fight. He had no idea what he was going to do now, since he couldn't get close to anyone now...what to do?

[Zeth Gurido]

Sasuke stood as a single bandit remained standing before him, trembling with fear. The bandit wasn't even that old, probebly in his mid-teens. It was sad what people had to stoop to at such a young age. The bandit then raised his sword over his head and charged at Sasuke, rushing with all his might. Sighing, Sasuke dropped both of his swords and moved forward quickly, spinning around and behind the bandit to avoid the sword, and hit the bandit in neck with his elbow, knocking him unconcious instantly. The bandit falling the ground, Sasuke moved back to his swords, picked them up, and sheathed them. Looking around, Sasuke noticed Cycia and Drace had done the same with the youngest ones, all unconcious. Nodding, Sasuke took the sword from the bandit he had knocked out, and set him against the tree. Standing up, Sasuke scratched his head and sat by the fire now that the threat was over. Drace joined him after disarming the bandits he subdued, and took out a piece of cloth to remove the blood from his lance. Cycia however, stood by a tree, peering into the darkness. Sasuke shrugged and looked into the fire, wondering if their unseen ally would join them.

((OOC: Not much I know, but I'm not really into doing a long post right now.))

[Bastian Farix]

At least one of Bastian's problems had been solved. The thing was, what was he going to do now? He could run away right now, go back to wandering...or he could take a chance, and join the group below him.
Taking a deep breath, he jumped out of the tree, landed lightly, and then walked out of the shadows. He stood there awkwardly, waiting for someone to say something.
((I hear yah, Zeth. XD))

[Zeth Gurido]

Sasuke and the rest of the group looked at the newcomer with neutral looks. Sasuke rested one of his hands on a hilt of one of his swords, ready in case of an 'unexpected turn of events.' He didn't know the person, or why he was here, and judging from his allies's looks they thought the same.

Drace stood and rested his lance on his shoulder, looking at the man straight in the eyes. This must have been the unseen ally he had predicted, though he was scrawnier than he had thought he would be.

Cycia's face was just a farce of course, since she already knew she was in the presence of one of her own kind. She wondered how he had gotten himself in the situation to help them in the first place. Keeping her face straight, she looked to the others to watch thier actions.

Drace walked forward towards the young man, and held out his free hand. "I'm guessing you're the one who reduced thier number for us?"

[Bastian Farix]

Bastian shook Drace's hand nervously, still unsure of both why he had decided to show himself and what to do next. He simply nodded to Drace's question; he was too unsure of himself to talk. He doubted the other Druidok would reveal who he was, so maybe that was why he had chosen to reveal himself. Maybe he was...lonely?

[Zeth Gurido]

Sasuke looked at the man questionly, noting his silence to mind. Was the man....nervous? Putting his hand on the ground infront of him, he used the leverage to push himself as he got up onto his feet, and looked at the man in the eyes. "Can you at least say something? It's not a good way to get people to trust you..." What he said was the truth, though he noticed Cecilia look at him for a moment, almost a glare. What was she so mad about?

Drace looked from Sasuke to the man before him, and then focused on the man completely. "Sasuke has a point. You would do best to speak up. Perhaps an introduction would break the ice for you?" Putting his hand over his chest, Drace nodded at Riko. "My name is Drace," moving his hand towards Sasuke, he continued, "That is Sasuke, and this is Cecilia," said Drace as he moved his hand over to point to Cecilia, who was now standing as well.

[Bastian Farix]

Why am I clamming up? Bastian thought. It wasn't like he had been living under a rock. He knew how to talk to people...
Then again, how much did he really talk to people? He'd find some work to do to earn some coin, he'd get paid, he'd move on before anyone started asking questions. Getting close to people was out of the question: he was a Druidok, and most humans on the continent thought they were too good for Druidoks, and hated them.
But this group had taken in a Druidok, and she had managed to keep who she was a secret. Why couldn't he?
His silence was obviously getting the other two, though, so had to say something. "My name's Bastian," he said, glad that he hadn't sounded as nervous as he was. "I'm glad I was able to help." Not a bad start...