The Further Adventures of Varixx Tarnok

The Huntmistress of Nektulos Forest

By Jason Olin

Chapter 1

Varixx knew she was there. He'd caught a glimpse of her a few times from the corner of his eye as he traveled through the forest, but it was very much like interacting with the wildlife. She would stand very still and watch his every move for a moment then disappear into flight among the trees when the opportunity was right. She never spoke or made a sound during these confrontations and any attempt he made to communicate with her went unanswered. This was his relationship with this unknown forest walker. Every time he took this path on one errand or another in this area of the Nektulos forest, it was always this same spectre that screened his movements. She was a complete and utter enigma. Even her very body seemed to mold into the darkness.

He would not have been able to sense her at all if it wasn't for his curse. One of the few useful things it had given him was heightened senses. Thanks to these gifts, he was able to tell her sex from even the shortest of glances. It was a testament to her abilities that only by really concentrating with his enhanced sense of hearing was he able to tell when she was shadowing him.

He'd been able to observe a few other things about her during their fleeting encounters. She was obviously young, perhaps not even twenty five seasons old. Her armor was old and battered, almost ancient looking. The leather and chain armor bore the markings and style of the scouts of old, from before The Shattering and possibly even before the War of the Fae. Still, this armor almost seemed as though it was made exclusively for her. It fit her body like a glove, neither hindering her movement nor sacrificing protection. He knew this not from physical examination but via common sense. No scout would wear any kind of armor that even remotely hindered their ability to be fleet of foot.

The first few times he'd encountered her had been somewhat alarming. He had not been concentrating much and she had actually startled him. It was the first time such a thing had happened since the day he'd been cursed. From that point on he tried to track her in return and further access if she was a threat. She was frustratingly impossible to find in the woods. Her charcoal colored skin and black hair dappled her against the ash-covered trees with ease. Only when the cloud-covered moonlight caught her for the briefest of moments was he able to even get a vague idea of what she looked like.

He'd come, over the course of many months, come to accept her presense as a relative curiosity to this region of the Nektulos forest. He knew that she watched him when she was unseen- not because he could see her, but because on occasion he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his skull. Why she focused on him was a mystery as great as her existence. Perhaps she did this to any forest traveler who she perceived as a threat. So long as she wouldn't answer his calls however, he'd never know for sure.
This had gone on for the better half of a year. Though he was filled with questions as to her nature, he'd always forgotten about the forest-borne girl whenever he returned home to Neriak. Somewhere along the line he'd just come to attribute her as a indigenous part of the forest.

All of that aloofness was about to change by sheer accident however, and it would mark yet another turning point in Varixx's long life.
It was a night in late fall that found Varixx was once again traveling through the woods, heading a leisurely jaunt to meet a contact for a side job he'd offered to take on. He did little to mask his walk and his armor clanked softly with each step he took like the scales of a great dragon.

Out on patrol in the treetops above, the forest guardian swung down noiselessly onto a branch overlooking the main road of the Nektulos and pursed her lips, taking note of him. She wasn't surprised to see him, but she was surprised to find him much deeper in her territory than usual.

She'd been out hunting for Dreadguards to distract them from stumbling upon her people's camp as they prepared to take down all the tents and migrate in another location. During this time of transition, the camp was highly vulnerable to attack. The huntress was one of its greatest defenses, and the warrior she was watching, while clearly not a Dreadguard based on past observations, traveled a path continued on the path that came far too close to the camp for her comfort. Shifting to a new branch that offered her a better shot, she crouched and watched him carefully. When she decided he had come close enough, she stood tall and notched an arrow, firing it towards him and watching with approval as it landed only inches in front of him. She was quick to string another.

"The next one will not miss," she stated from the darkness. "Alter your path or be destroyed." She spoke Thexian, although the accent was strange and old, familiar to Varixx's ears. Perhaps language didn't evolve as swiftly in the camp as it did in the city. The tone, however, left no question that she meant every word she spoke. Her dark eyes narrowed in concentration and she waited to see what he would do.

Varixx had felt her presence even before the arrow had landed on the ground but the decisiveness of her actions still gave him pause. It wasn't the first time this specter of the forest had made slight contact from afar or had granted him a brief visual image of her presence, but it was the first time she had engaged in a warning shot, defensive or otherwise. His metal boots clanked softly against the roots and stones of the forest floor, but as the arrow landed before him, he stopped dead in his tracks. The low, ever present fog wrapped around his legs like ethereal tendrils and his gently glowing purple eyes cut through the cool and clammy bog to see the woman jump nimbly down onto the road in front of him, blocking his path.

He looked down at the arrow then up to the trees, trying to guess her location.

"There will be no further warning. Turn back now."

Slightly surprised that she had engaged in physical action against him after so many times of half encounters, he was even more surprised when she spoke again, the language unmistakenly that of his people but the tone sounding so firm and certain, yet soft, like a whisper of turning pages thanks to the wind's invisible fingertips.

"The last time I checked," he called out, "this path was open to all travelers."

Her black form dropped from the trees and her weapon elevated, a notched arrow aimed for his head. "I will not repeat myself."

Ah, she too is a Teir'dal Not so uncommon to find one of my kind roaming throughout our ancestrial forest, I suppose. He looked at her for an endless moment, his honed warrior training taking note of her armor, her physical condition and weapons. While her first shot had been defensive in nature, he didn't doubt that she was skilled enough to find at least a few spots between his armor to land further strikes. It was her eyes that truly told him this, for the gaze that bored into his mask was one that gave him the warrior's promise: if you attack me, I will fight back. I will destroy you or die trying. I will not lose because failure is absolutely not an option.

Behind his helm a sprouting grin widened considerably. How delightful!

Varixx hadn't been challenged head on in quite a long time. His only chosen purpose on life was to fight, to pay homage to his god, The Warlord Rallos Zek during his every waking moment. Cursed with eternal life as a walking undead, he made use of his much hated vampirism by taking advantage of its abilities and the opportunities that arose.

He could afford to be slightly more reckless in battle as a result of this curse. Most wounds healed quickly and almost no one knew what he really was since his helm and armor remained on at all times while out in public. Undead or not, battle was his mistress and the marching of boots as armies trampled the land was the sweetest of lullabies to his ears. He defined who and what he was by the swing of his sword and his prowess in battle. The only thrill life gave was in the form of challenging foes who were potentially stronger than himself. Unfortunately that had become something of a rare occurrence in recent days.

In light of that, to have one so young and sure of her abilities challenge him so unexpectedly was nothing short of a treat. His metal gauntlet fell to his scabbard and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, preparing to draw if necessary. It had been too long since he'd felt the sweet pain and exhilaration of combat. He didn't particularly want to fight this woman, especially since he didn't know anything about her. However, if she did attack then he would gladly partake in violence.

Unflinching, the dark elf stared at him.

"Why should I alter my path?" he asked. His voice was deep and soft as he met her gaze head on. "This path is the most direct route to where I want to go. I've felt you watching me in the past. Have I done something to gain your interest in some way? If you intend to stop me or fight me, which I assume you're here to do, let our blades do the talking."

"What is your name?"

"I am Varixx Tarnok."

As his hand gripped the scabbard tighter, hers drew her bowstring back further. Her eyes narrowed to dark slits and her posture went from a defensive warning to an almost crouched offensive, "Is the idea of your death not enough to sway you from this path? You have entered the territory of the K'Naae and you are not welcome here. Be grateful for my warning, Varixx Tarnok, and heed its wisdom."
In the back of her mind, she knew a straight face-to-face fight with the heavily armored guardian would not go in her favor. But she was a child of the forest and would use it to her advantage. She knew the difference between the fox and the lion...and she was most certainly not the lion. Still, it was the defensive nature of a creature protecting its territory and interests that led it to puff up and try to frighten a threat away before the more dangerous act of engaging it. Oh, she would fight if she had to, but she would prefer not to. Open battle could draw in more unwanted company and increase the risk of exposing her people to unwanted trouble.

Varixx studied her a moment before he removed his hand from the hilt of his blade. This woman wasn't out to fight unless she had to; she lacked the crimson aura about her that desired to kill. If she'd wanted to kill him or rob him she would have done so when the element of surprise had still been in her favor. Stretching out, he couldn't sense anyone else nearby, but that was still no cause to lower his guard completely. He still didn't know who or what he was dealing with yet. All he had to go on was a sire name: K'Naae. It sounded familiar, for some reason.

"I will not attack you unless provoked, warrior of K'naae. However, do not think you can make me alter my path. It's clear you don't wish me to go this way for some reason or another. I assure you, if I had wanted to cause havoc I would have done so by now. I, like you, know much of this forest like the back of my hand. Short of scaling the high hills to the west, this is the most direct route to my destination."

He studied her again, waiting to see her reaction. More so than anything else, he wondered what would come of this chance meeting in the Nektulos forest. Was she a friend or foe, stronger or weaker than himself? Perhaps this was a challenge sent down by Rallos Zek himself. If so, Varixx would be ready to handle the situation accordingly. He waited passively to see how she responded.
"Let us make a few things perfectly clear, Varixx Tarnok," the tone of her words bordered on condescending and her belligerent posture eased enough that her bowstring slackened as the weapon was lowered in front of her. However, it was clear by the tenseness of her form that she was prepared to enter a state of battle in a blink and would do so without hesitation. "You live and breathe even now only because I have not taken a simple shot countless times as you traveled in my forest. You have passed through with respect to the woods and its denizen ninety-nine times. Do not make the mistake of failing to do so for a hundredth time, for it will be this single time that will cost you your life."

Varixx nodded in understanding. The girl, in a word, was stubborn. Far too young to be a Teir'dal of the old world, she still carried the same fiery pride. It was obvious in her strong stance and the way she lifted her chin as she spoke loud and clear.

"You will not pass this way unless it is over my corpse," she continued evenly. "If you knew Nektulos as well as you say you do, you would know the name K'Naae. Even the bitch queen of Neriak knows the name and trembles in her ill-begotten castle at the mention of it."

She again lifted her bow and took aim, the slight smirk that spread over her face shining with obvious challenge, "Take one more step and you may consider yourself provoked, for I will remove your head and send it to her in box marked with facetious blessings from Innoruuk, King Naythox, and K'Naae" She chuckled low and sweet, narrowing her eyes slightly, "How high are the hills to the West to scale, warrior? Is the irritation of climbing them worth your hide?"

Varixx considered her words and made a few assessments. The first and most obvious was that she was certainly not like most Teir'dal. Like him, she appeared to be some sort of renegade. The second was that she clearly held no regard for the queen of Neriak. This left him with two possible impressions. Either she was much like him in mind and spirit, or she was not entirely Teir'dal at all.

He chuckled low in his throat. She seemed enough like him to make good on his desire to attack if he indeed took one more step. The thrill to fight had quickly evaporated when he'd learned she was just trying to protect her territory. There was no signifigant amount of Rallosian honor to be gained from any of this. It was like de-clawing a saber cat then engaging it in combat, the excitement of battle was forever gone.

"We have much in common, I think. Your name does sound familiar but I'm unable to remember where I've heard it before your boastful little rant just now. At any rate, I will leave you in peace. Protect this little spot of land so valiantly if you want. It makes very little difference to me."

There were many questions left to answer, but provoking a confrontation wasn't the way to get those answers. She'd been watching him for so long whenever he entered the forest, there would certainly be another opportunity. Nodding his head, he made his decision and spun around on his heels.

The detoured warrior walked off the way he'd come, considering his options all the while. As midnight gripped the sky above the forest, he made camp not far from K'naae's territory, setting up a modest fire and organizing his gear for further use tomorrow.

"K'naae … K'naae …" Sitting in front of the fire, he stared into its hypnotic flames, trying without success to remember where he would have heard her last name before. She seemed more like a Thexian than a Nerian so perhaps that was a clue unto itself. The problem was that he did not know any Thexians. They were a secretative and elusive bunch anywhere they lived outside of Freeport. Varixx stomached setting foot in the vile human city only when he absolutely had to and as such, had little time to hold a conversation with the Thexian residents who still dwelled there.

Perhaps he would be able to figure out that information in time. Time was a luxury he had, being undead and all. Deliciae had long since pasted away and his adored little daughter was rapidly growing up and pursuing her own ambitions. Most distressing of all was there was no war to partake in. This left him contemplating his next move to avoid total boredom. It was only due to a possible mercenary job that he'd been on his way through the forest at all.

Varixx was quite wealthy and his estate in Neriak reflected this. His many adventures had turned up quite a collection of treasure over his many years of life and he auctioned off these trinkets and magical items to the highest bidder. His role as a mercenary was more to stave off boredom and allow him to thrill in the hunt than it was to make an actual living. But even merc jobs were becoming more scarce in recent months.

As he lay down upon his bed roll to relax and look up at the stars, Varixx frowned with displeasure at having to spend another night in his armor. The only time he shed it in the open was to bathe and even then he kept his face covered with a cloth mask. While out in the wilds where monsters, thrill seekers, and bandits roamed, he slept with his armor and his weapon in hand. Surviving in these woods depended on such precautions.

Looking up at the canopy of dark trees above him, the irritated warrior tried to sleep. His mind continued to race and he just settled into a more or less comfortable position, listening to the wind whisper through the trees and the night predators stalk their evening meal. All the while he played the name of K'naae in his mind over and over, trying to remember where he'd heard it.

As night carried on and the moon rose higher into the night sky, the guardian finally dozed off as the sounds of war peppered his fitful dreams. The clash of sword against steel, the challenging bray of warhorses, and the tramping of armor-clad feet ran through the warrior's unconcious mind.

He slept fitfully for a time, until the real tramping of armor-clad feet and shouts of fighting soldiers woke him up with a start.

Kainda said nothing as the warrior had spun on his heel to leave, though she remained tensed with her bow drawn until he moved out of sight. Slinging her bow back upon her shoulder at last, she crouched low before leaping up into the lowest branches of a nearby tree. Carefully, she stalked him from treetop to treetop until he was a safe distance away from where her people would make their nomadic crossing.
Satisfied, the shadow left the branch she crouched on and moved back to her patrol. A smirk lit her face as she did. He would remain welcome in the Nektulos thanks to his restraint.

Quite honestly, Kainda hadn't known Varixx had even set up camp nearby. The forest was broad and long and it was difficult to watch all of it all of the time. It was questionable whether she even knew he was there, but even if she did, it was none of her concern so long as he remained outside of disputed Thexian territory.

Kainda heard voices and movement towards the final hours of her scheduled patrol and bounded off from branch to branch to investigate. At last she spied Varixx's camp and stopped to observe it for a moment as the voices drew louder. She crouched down onto the branch in which she was perched and gathered enough strength in her legs to bound to the next tree which was a good two meters away.

It was the same strange voices coupled with the clanking sound of armor and stamping feet that awoke the drowsy warrior. He heard the closer sound of the treebranch groaning and looked up just in time to see K'naae leap by. In the distance, he followed her flight through the nearby trees with his eyes until she stopped suddenly again, no more than a hundred feet or less away to the north of his camp position. He watched her very carefully wrap her knees about the tree branch and hang upside down from it, un-slinging her bow and notching an arrow, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Rising to his feet, Varixx doused the weakened fire with a canister of water and rose to his feet, still trying to grab full control of his senses from the clutches of his slumber.

The shouts of soldiers and the trampling of boots came closer...and the first head of the Teir'dal Dreadguard to come into sight immediately fell back with a black plumed arrow between his eyes. The other five paused in surprise of their suddenly fallen comrade...then took up the chase anew with the shadow leading them on.
Whether they had the upper hand or she did was a mystery to Varixx.

He decided to take action. Off into the underbrush he went cutting a direct path to the road, watching the K'naae girl nimbly leapt about in her dance amongst the trees. He found the Nerian soldier the girl had just taken down, his face fixed with a look of horror even in death, an arrow logged nearly into his brain. It seemed the little forest specter was being pursued for some reason or another by the forces of Neriak. He wondered why as action drove the last vestiges of sleep from his mind.

He stretched his legs out into a sprint, heading back into the forest until he almost caught up to the advancing soldiers, spying the huntress as she leapt from tree to tree, as if leading them away. Crouching and digging his gauntlet into the ground to stop his forward momentum, Varixx gave a shout to get both her attention and the approaching enemy soldiers. Rising to his full human-sized height, tall for a dark elf, he drew his blade down and to the side, ready to strike. The odds weren't in the girl's favor and he'd been bored anyway. He didn't need any other reason to interfere.

He felt her eyes on him from the treetops above. All the while he kept his eyes on the approaching threat while talking to her directly, voicing his thoughts. "For all I know these guys are easy targets for you to kill. Regardless, I'm bored and any foe of the queen is a friend of mine. So listen up. I'm going to help you out and I wont take no for an answer. If you still feel disgruntled about it after we can fight it out then."

The soldiers pursuing her had closed the distance and stopped at once in front of him. The leader, clearly a lieutenant given the gold trim of his armor, took a step forward. "Stand aside, traveler. You interfere with our mission to apprehend the woman. She is a known criminal and will be brought to justice. If you seek to hinder us any further you will be labeled an accomplice and cut down where you stand."

Varixx popped his neck and did everything he could to make his stance show him to be bored at their very presence. "I don't know why you want that girl but I'm not going to let you get to her. So I offer you two choices: turn back the way you come, or attack me."

He grinned behind his helm. "Please don't choose the first option on my account."

"You fool! Tear him apart" Raising his blade high, the lieutenant roared in challenge and closed the distance with Varixx, leading the charge as he and his five comrades moved to follow. Their blades clashed and sparks flew as the two broke apart and engaged again, dancing across the ground in a whirlwind of clashing metal, both seeking the death of the other.

Varixx's grin grew broader, even with the pain from his scars shooting through his nervous system. It's going to be an enjoyable evening after all...