A Girl From The Plains
She struggled onwards, despite the sun beating down on her. Looking ahead, she thought she saw a thin trail of smoke on the horizon, and willed herself towards it. However, no matter how far she seemed to trudge on, the smoke stayed where it was in the sky. Had she still had the horse, or the supplies, this wouldn't have been much of a problem. As it was, though, she had neither, not since her assailants, her former allies, had attacked her and took them from her. She'd fought hard to survive, and had escaped that battle with her life. In retrospect, she had traded one death for another, slower one.
Black crept into her field of vision, her headache intensified. She stumbled, and fell to her knees. Her world spun. Everything spun. She'd never been one for dizziness, and feared that she'd lose what little lunch and water she had left. She heaved. Then, she rolled herself over, and stared up at the sun, sitting directly overhead. Soon, the heat would claim her. Her thoughts continued to cloud, and she struggled to hold on to something, to anything. But, everything slipped away, and she was pretty sure that it was the work of that bitch's spells. The last thought she had was of her brother, and she hoped with all of her heart that he would be able to escape this fate.
She woke up slowly. Her eyes slowly opened. Everything was a bright blur, and she closed her eyes quickly. She felt the familiar roughness of a canvas blanket on top of her. She tried to sit up, but the room spun, and her body returned to the bed.
"Oh good. You're finally awake." A female voice said, alerted by the rustle of the blanket. She opened her eyes again, and turned to look in its direction.
She looked about her height. Her build was unmistakably that of one who lived a hard life. Her eyes, though, spoke only volumes of kindness. Her hair was as green as her eyes, worn in a high ponytail that slid down past her waist, and the robe she was wearing was a brilliant sky-blue, with gold trim along the borders. She walked over to the bed and set a bowl to her guest's mouth, saying "Drink slowly."
She nodded, and took the bowl, noting the black ring on her finger, and slowly sipped on the contents. As she drank, she wondered briefly about the girl in front of her. Had they met sometime before? After finishing, she sat up, the room spinning only slightly now. She noticed that she was wearing a slightly-charred green cloak. "What happened?" She asked. "How'd I get here?"
The girl smiled. "I found you unconscious on the plains about three days ago. I am Lyn, of the Lorca tribe. You're safe now. Who are you? Can you remember your name?"
She paused for a moment. Her name? She racked her mind for a moment. Everything was fuzzy. She couldn't remember much. The basics, rudimentary information, common knowledge, and language skills were all there. But her name... Suddenly, it came to her, one word standing clear in the otherwise impenetrable fog that filled her mind. "Alysia. My name is Alysia."
"Alysia? What an odd-sounding name."
"I could say the same thing about Lyn." She said.
They looked at each other for a moment, both wearing serious looks on their faces, the room dead-silent, then they both burst out laughing. Regaining her composure, Lyn said "Pay me no mind. It's a good name." She paused, then continued. "I see by your attire that you are a traveler. What brings you to the Sacae Plains? Would you be willing to share your story with me?"
Alysia was about to tell her that the name was about all she could remember about herself when they heard a crash from outside. Lyn frowned. "Did you hear that?" Alysia nodded. "It sounded like it came from outside. Alysia, please stay here. I'll go take a look."
Alysia sighed, and watched Lyn as she left. Looking around, she noticed that she was in a fairly well furnished tent. There were a few chests and boxes along the wall of the tent that she figured contained food, clothes, and everything else that was needed to live on the plains. She laid back down.
Lyn ran back into the tent. "Bandits!" Alysia sat bolt upright. The room spun a little, but she paid no attention to it. "They must have come from the Bern Mountains! They must be planning on raiding the local villages. I... I have to stop them!"
"Wait, you're going to fight those bandits on your own?" Alysia asked. "That's suicide! You can't!"
Lyn crouched by the bed, and retrieved a long, curved object from underneath the bed. At first, Alysia thought it to be a bow, until Lyn pulled on one end. A sword flashed in the filtered light of the tent. She put the sword back into the scabbard, and tied it onto her belt.
"There were only two of them out there. If that's all of them, I think I can handle them on my own. You'll be safe in here, Alysia."
"No way I'm letting you go out there alone!" Alysia said.
"What? You want to help?" Lyn asked. "Can you fight?"
Alysia sighed. "No, not in the state that I'm in. But I refuse to sit back and watch. I'm going to come out, whether you want me to or not. At the very least, you'll have an extra set of eyes."
Lyn nodded. "Very well. We go together!" Alysia swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood on them, somewhat shakily at first, but her confidence grew with every step. She followed Lyn out of the tent, and noticed some stiffness under her cloak. She looked under the cloak to see hardened black leather. Armor?
"If you want to help, Alysia, watch my back." Alysia looked up at Lyn, and nodded.
"Of course. But I don't know that I'll be able to protect myself very well, considering my condition."
Lyn nodded, and smiled. "I'll protect you. Just stay close to me."
Alysia nodded. Together, they moved to a small section of trees near the hut. "Do you see them?" Lyn asked. Alysia nodded. From across the plains, maybe a few hundred yards away, was the first bandit. His muscled frame rippled as he looked about. There was a rather nasty looking axe in his hand.
Her mind raced at a speed that she'd never felt before, as she registered information instantly. She was creating incredibly complex battle plans with what felt like astonishing ease.
"I'm going to charge him." Lyn said.
"No, don't." Alysia said firmly. "Charging in is reckless and will get you killed quickly. You're lighter and more nimble than your foe, and his axe is weighing him down. You want to take your time, let him come to you. Then, as he's coming in for the strike, give him all you've got. It'll be a split-second opening, and you'll have to take it fast, but you can do it."
Lyn looked at Alysia in surprise. "How did you come up with all of that so quickly?"
Alysia shrugged. "Instinct."
That piqued Lyn's curiosity. "A tactician by trade, then, or perhaps a professional soldier? An interesting set of skills for you to have, but no doubt a convenient one, given our situation." She nodded, and turned back to the bandit. "Very well. If that's your advice." They moved forward.
The distance closed as they moved among the stands of taller grass. They maneuvered to within fifty yards of the bandit when they were spotted. Lyn stood up and took a ready stance as the bandit charged. Alysia saw her settle into it, and take a deep breath. The bandit closed in, and raised his axe to strike.
Then, fast as lightning, Lyn struck first. She gave two quick cuts to the bandit, and dodged away from his blow. Confident, Lyn closed the distance to finish the job, but the bandit wasn't finished yet. He managed to make a rather nasty gash along Lyn's stomach with his axe as she charged in. She yelped in pain, but managed to finish off her foe with a final cut across his own stomach.
"Lyn! Are you alright?" Alysia asked as she rushed up to her.
She grunted. "I'll be fine."
Alysia shook her head. "I don't think so. There is no way that a bandit would bother keeping his weapon clean. I don't want to see it get infected."
"There's a vulnerary in my bag." Lyn said, patting the satchel she was wearing.
Alysia dug into the bag, and pulled out a ceramic container. She carefully removed the stopper, and scooped out some of the medicine. She gently applied the healing salve to Lyn's wound.
"Thank you, Alysia." Lyn said, a look of relief on her face as the pain killers present in the medicine began to take effect. "Let's go get the last one!" They took off running to the large ger and the bandit standing in front of it.
"Who do you think you are?" The bandit called out as they approached. "Do you think that you can stand up to Batta the Beast?" Lyn simply drew her sword, and waited for her foe as he shot forward. She waited for his attack, then cut twice, leaving dark red streaks across Batta's chest. He grunted, but was quick to slam Lyn's gut with the blunt side of his axe. Lyn went sprawling.
Alysia rushed over to her. Slowly, she got up to her feet, calm on her face despite the laughs erupting from Batta.
"Whew... He's tough." She turned to look at Alysia. "It all comes down to this next hit. Alysia, if he wins... if I fall, I want you to live. You must flee if I die here!"
Alysia didn't have a chance to respond before Batta charged them. Lyn pushed Alysia away, and rolled to the side just in time to avoid a strike that would've left her without a head. Springing up, Lyn sprinted forwards, and cut Batta with lightning speed. Three red streaks appeared on his body, one of them cutting deep into his thigh. Blood poured from his body.
"What? How... How did you..." Batta fell silent as the sword cut once more, eviscerating him. Then, he just fell.
Alysia picked herself up and walked to where Lyn was breathing hard.
"That was close." Alysia said.
"I made a mistake by underestimating him." She admitted. "I'm sorry I worried you."
"It's alright." Alysia said simply.
Lyn's face hardened. "I'll need to be stronger if I'm going to survive... Strong enough that no one will be able to defeat me." Her face softened, and she turned to Alysia. "Come on. Let's go home."
"Good morning, Alysia!" She slowly opened her eyes. A half-remembered dream tugged at her. One that she had forced herself to forget.
"Up so early?" Alysia asked. "I'd figured that fight yesterday would've taken a lot out of you."
"It did, but it got me thinking about something..." Lyn trailed off.
"Really? What about?" Alysia asked.
"Well, it seems like you know a bit more about fighting and tactics than I do." Lyn said, patting the bandages over her stomach. "I was wondering if... if you'd let me travel with you."
Alysia thought about it for a moment. Finally, she said "I'd have no problems with it, but shouldn't you ask the rest of your tribe, or at least your parents?"
"My mother and father..." Lyn fought tears. "They died six months ago. My people, the Lorca... they don't... I'm the last of my tribe."
"What?" Alysia asked, shocked. "How could something like that happen?"
Tears began streaming freely down Lyn's face. "Bandits attacked... so many people died... the tribe scattered. The chieftain... my father... I wanted to protect our people, but ours was a tribe stuck in the past. No one would follow a girl. No one would follow me, even though I was his..." She sniffed. "I've been alone for so long... It's been..."
Alysia hugged her, and Lyn hugged back. "No. No more tears." Alysia said.
They stayed like that for a bit, then Lyn broke away. "You're right. No more tears. I feel better now." She smiled. "Thank you, Alysia. I need to make myself stronger. I will avenge their deaths. Yesterday's battle taught me that I won't get stronger by sitting here alone, by being stuck in the past."
She looked into Alysia's eyes, a fire of determination burning brightly in them. "Alysia, tell me that you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you!"
"Of course I will!" She said.
"Really? That's wonderful! Oh, thank you! We'll be much better off together, I just know it! Lead on, Alysia, and I will follow you to the ends of Elibe!"
"That's great," she said, "but unless you want me to end up unconscious again, I say that we not travel on foot."
Lyn smiled. "Right. I'll be right back." A few minutes later, Lyn came back with a sturdy-looking mare. "This is Rhea. She's an old horse, but she's reliable. We should be able to get fairly far on her."
Alysia nodded, and joined Lyn on the horse's back. "We should ride to Bulgar." She suggested. "We'll need supplies for the journey."
"Then we ride to Bulgar!" Alysia cried. Lyn spurred the horse on, and they shot off towards Bulgar, and into their journey.