The shaded figure received a killing blow and its weakened form fell to the
ground idle and still. The girl sat down next to the corpse and wiped the
red blood off her long slender curved blade. As soon as she stood up more
of the figures showed up, their long slim black bodies sliding though the
swamp. Soon she was surrounded by these foul creatures and couldn't handle
them. They kept biting her and slashing at her slender frame. Her legs
quickly became cut and her arms dripped with her own blood. She flipped
back her long black hair and kept slashing at them hoping to kill them and
be able to make it off with her life, but they just kept coming. Of course
she couldn't call for help, she was off in a remote area of the zone, no
one would ever hear her. She started to feel hopeless and started running
towards a spot where people might be but the creatures kept grasping on to
her and bit down hard. She dragged them though the swamp and was giving up
hope all together and she saw someone, a tall muscular human with a giant
sword, he was standing there with a mage companion. She fell weakly to the
soft ground with a thud and she passed out not knowing what was actually
going on she laid there lifelessly. She heard the casting of the mage and
the warmth of the fired spells until she blacked out all together.
"Who do you think she is? She looks important." The human looked over at the lifeless body on the ground
"Of course she does you stupid. Her black hair is rare in these parts, but maybe we should just leave her, she will come back to her senses eventually."
"Aldor, I am not leaving a beautiful, unconscious girl on the ground." The human said to the mage sarcastically.
"And why not? I have seen you do it a millionbagiliion times, why is now any different?"
"Because I find her quite captivating." He bent down and slung her over his back. "Get her sword would you."
"Yeah Yeah. But Nimandle don't you think your father is going to be a little turned on that your bringing a women home?"
"Of course not! Because we are going to yours." He smiled softly. And walked to the edge of the zone. "And plus yours is closer."
"Whatever, you better be happy my guild doesn't have anything planned tonight and I have an extra bed." The two zoned quickly and were in Plane of Knowledge. The home to billions of shops and inns, many met in this zone to go to other zones, but this is where Aldor called home. The tall white buildings and the skinny lampposts were welcoming to the tired travelers. Nimandle got quite a few glares from passers acknowledging the presence of the girl that he was still caring. Aldor unlocked the building and welcomed the human inside.
"Go ahead and put her on the bed, I will call a healer to get her wounds cleaned up. You my friend need to look at this blade, it is one like I have never seen." He handed Nimandle the blade after the girl was laid on the bed. Aldor walked out and went to the healer's guild to find someone to clean her wounds that were punctured deep into the flesh, he didn't want and infectious diseases or infections in his home. Nimandle sat down on a chair and put the blade on the table. He ran is fingers of the intricate carvings the handle and the sharpness of each point of the blade. It was true, he had never seen something so magnificent that made his skin crawl with touching it. He felt as if it wasn't supposed to be touched by others. He pulled away and sat and looked at it, then at the slender girl on the bed. Her long black hair, sand colored leggings, and forest green tunic. Her wrists were covered with a gold bangle and her biceps both had a slender gold ring around it. He was in a trance for a minute until Aldor walked in with a healer.
"Oh Nimandle get a life." Aldor laughed and showed the healer to the girl.
"I see why you call for my assistance." He pulled the chair from Nimandle and sat down next to her and put his hands over her chest. He closed his oval eyes slowly and threw his head back a little. Blue light reflected off his fingertips and floated over the limp girl, the bleeding subsided and the large gouges became scratches. The scratches became nothing and hid under her pale flesh. The healer then took a potion from his back and gave it to Aldor.
"Give this to her once she wakes up and the poison wont spread."
"She was poisoned?" Nimandle shifted weight on to his other foot.
"Of course, those swamp crawlers have always had poison where have you been human?"
"A lot of places other than here." He grumbled and leaned against the small table and starred as Aldor wished the healer well and safe travels. "Why do people say "human" like it is an insult?"
"Because it is Nimandle. There aren't many humans anymore since the last Great War, same with Erudites. Your lucky you were only a few years old when it started and you were with your father in Felwithe. Then he was killed and I got placed with you. And now look at us, old hags." The mage sighed heavily and put the potion on the bedside table.
"I'm not old, but if you want to call yourself old go right ahead, even though High elfs don't age like normal people do."
"I'm old, I have seen to much."
"STOP COMPLAINING WOULD YOU!? Hold mother of Tunare!"
"Look who's talking." Aldor turned and went into a back room and left Nimandle standing there. They were both like little boys at heart always fighting and picking on each other but when time came they could be the most serious. Nimandle shouted through the door.
"I'm going for a walk."
"You do that.human." Aldor said right back through the door. The room where the girl lay was empty now. Quietness filled the small building and Aldor felt calm, he grabbed a book off of his ancient bookshelf that he had customized to fit a mages needs. He flipped open the leather cover and turned the cream pages carefully as he sat down. "A lot has changed since the Great War. Humans aren't found as often as well as Erudites and black hair is hard to come by, especially as black as hers. Most have dark brown.almost black but it is still brown. It puzzles me hers is black right to the root. This girl isn't normal I can say that much. Why did we have to bring her home, soon she will wake up and Nimandle will want to keep her." Aldor rolled his eyes at this thought. At least she was wood elf, which also surprised him. He pushed open the wooden door and looked at the girl once again. Not many elfs even had the black hair gene.is it dyed? He reached over her and inspected her hair.nope not dyed. Her eyes flickered open as Aldor reached over. She coughed slightly and startled Aldor almost flinging him into the wall with fright.
"Don't do that to me child."
"You're the mage." she said in a daze not fully awoken yet.
"Yes I am a mage, and yes I did save you, and yes this is my house, and yes there was a human with me and he is taking a walk right now and yes you have to drink this foul smelling stuff sitting on my table." He uncorked the bottle and shoved it into her mouth. He smiled brightly. "I hate playing 20 questions so I narrowed it down to 15 questions."
"I see." She said a little stronger this time.
"Oh and to make it 14, my name is Aldor, and my friend is Nimandle, he should be back in a little bit to talk to you." Aldor grinned again and put the empty bottle on the table again then whirled around to look at the girl again.
"You don't want to talk to me?" She asked puzzled.
There was silence in the small building.
"I want talk to you." Nimandle pushed his weight off of the open door frame and passed to where the girl was trying to sit up. "Aldor can you go back and put this away?" He handed the mage a bag full of rations. "I might need them when I leave tomorrow."
"And where are you going."
"Ruined City of Freeport, need to do some stuff there for awhile. Have a problem with that?"
"Not at all.neither should my guild."
"Excuse me.but you two don't get along do you?" the girl blinked her round saucer green eyes and coughed. She ran her slender hands over her ankles trying to feel the scrapes and scars.
"No we do just not today.a healer came earlier."
She nodded her black hair falling over her cheekbones. "My name is Tersha."
"I was getting around to that question before he walked in." Aldor starred over at Nimandle and laughed under his breath. "Where exactly do you come from?"
"Freeport, that's were I was born at least, before the war started then I moved to Erudin with my mother then she died of disease and my father took me to Fiona Vie, then he ran off and never came back and I was seven. The Druid guild took me in and trained me until I was 16 then they left me on my own."
"Your life story in three minutes, interesting." Aldor went to the back room and looked around for another book, something on warriors. He pulled one of the shelf and dusted the red cover off the opened to the middle section and was skimming though names of famous rouges.not expecting to find her name right in the middle of the left page. Highest Ranked Female Druid: Tersha Thindlewood. He read allowed to himself. That cannot be her she's only 16. He took the book into the other room and shoved it into Nimandle's face. He too skimmed the page and saw her name in the middle.
"What is your last name?"
"Thindlewood."
"I see." Nimandle looked over at Aldor curiously and he raised one eyebrow at this thought.
"I am sorry to bother you like this, you are both very kind to take me in and pay for a healer to come, but I should go, I don't mean to intrude. And you seem to need some rest since your traveling tomorrow." Tersha scooted to the edge of the bed and went to stand up. She instantly fell to the ground with a thud and Nimandle looked over the rim of the book and saw her laying there face flat on the wooden floorboards. He smiled gently and helped her up so she could regain her center of balance. She pushed her black hair over her shoulders and grabbed her sword. And stumbled towards the door. Aldor was already hibernating in the other room and Nimandle almost let her out of the open door before he said something more.
"You're her aren't you?"
"Am I who?"
"Her. Here in this book." He showed her the name in the center of the left page. And then read the description out loud. Black hair, green eyes, and cream skin, this is one druid that is not to be messed with, she is young and naive but worthy enough to hold the title of best ranked Female warrior in Norrath because of her expertise in Druid skills and trade--."
"Stop reading it." Tersha shut her eyes tightly and pierced her lips tightly closed. "It bothers me when people gloat at my title, I don't even deserve it, I never asked for it and plus if I was the best then why am I here because of those damn swamp crawlers?"
"I hold the same one." He turned the page and skimmed the parchment. And pointed to his name. "Nimandle Nergrowth.Highest ranked male Warrior. Aldor holds it for Mages.well he used to before he got "old"." He raised his voice hoping Aldor would hear him.
"Shut up HUMAN!" he shouted though the door and then rolled over on his small bed wanting to scream into his pillow.
"Where do you plan to go?" Nimandle stood up and looked at down at the elf.
"I don't know. Wherever my mind seems to want to take me, wherever I can be where no one knows who I am. There's something else." She looked down at the floor feeling dizzy. "Someone's after me, actually a whole guild is after me.I trust you enough to tell you this now." She stumbled to get the words out clearly.
"Aldor get in here." Nimandle said in a rushed voice.
"WHAT NOW!" He barged though the door and looked at Tersha than at Nimandle and instantly calmed his temper. "Yes?"
"The guild is called Shadow-Haven of the Mark, their leader wants to kill me, and so I have heard from roomers. I have been on the run since I was let go of the druid guild. Don't get involved let me go my own way, I can handle this." Tersha turned and left and the two men stood there at the door and watched her zone into Broken Freeport. Nimandle felt a pull to go get her back because he saved her he wanted to keep her alive.
"Nimandle, give it a rest, she says she got it, and it is Tersha Thindlewood.let it be." Aldor clasped Nimandle's shoulder and turned and was starting to walk back though the door.
"Hand me my sword."
"No you've gone mad!"
"Give it to me know, and get Silva and Darin info Freeport pronto."
"Silva and Darin? No way I am not asking my guild to release a cleric and an enchanter for a rescue mission."
"Aldor do it now." Nimandle was becoming stern and over tempered. He didn't care about anything else anymore. He looked at Aldor and he nodded his head.
"Their on their way."
"Are you coming?"
"Well if you got my guild involved and it is you, of course I am going, but I am not happy about going."
"Do as you will but this should be fun.don't ruin it."
Aldor tossed Nimandle his sword and they both walked out of the building, closing the door behind them. The zoned quietly into Broken Freeport.
"Who do you think she is? She looks important." The human looked over at the lifeless body on the ground
"Of course she does you stupid. Her black hair is rare in these parts, but maybe we should just leave her, she will come back to her senses eventually."
"Aldor, I am not leaving a beautiful, unconscious girl on the ground." The human said to the mage sarcastically.
"And why not? I have seen you do it a millionbagiliion times, why is now any different?"
"Because I find her quite captivating." He bent down and slung her over his back. "Get her sword would you."
"Yeah Yeah. But Nimandle don't you think your father is going to be a little turned on that your bringing a women home?"
"Of course not! Because we are going to yours." He smiled softly. And walked to the edge of the zone. "And plus yours is closer."
"Whatever, you better be happy my guild doesn't have anything planned tonight and I have an extra bed." The two zoned quickly and were in Plane of Knowledge. The home to billions of shops and inns, many met in this zone to go to other zones, but this is where Aldor called home. The tall white buildings and the skinny lampposts were welcoming to the tired travelers. Nimandle got quite a few glares from passers acknowledging the presence of the girl that he was still caring. Aldor unlocked the building and welcomed the human inside.
"Go ahead and put her on the bed, I will call a healer to get her wounds cleaned up. You my friend need to look at this blade, it is one like I have never seen." He handed Nimandle the blade after the girl was laid on the bed. Aldor walked out and went to the healer's guild to find someone to clean her wounds that were punctured deep into the flesh, he didn't want and infectious diseases or infections in his home. Nimandle sat down on a chair and put the blade on the table. He ran is fingers of the intricate carvings the handle and the sharpness of each point of the blade. It was true, he had never seen something so magnificent that made his skin crawl with touching it. He felt as if it wasn't supposed to be touched by others. He pulled away and sat and looked at it, then at the slender girl on the bed. Her long black hair, sand colored leggings, and forest green tunic. Her wrists were covered with a gold bangle and her biceps both had a slender gold ring around it. He was in a trance for a minute until Aldor walked in with a healer.
"Oh Nimandle get a life." Aldor laughed and showed the healer to the girl.
"I see why you call for my assistance." He pulled the chair from Nimandle and sat down next to her and put his hands over her chest. He closed his oval eyes slowly and threw his head back a little. Blue light reflected off his fingertips and floated over the limp girl, the bleeding subsided and the large gouges became scratches. The scratches became nothing and hid under her pale flesh. The healer then took a potion from his back and gave it to Aldor.
"Give this to her once she wakes up and the poison wont spread."
"She was poisoned?" Nimandle shifted weight on to his other foot.
"Of course, those swamp crawlers have always had poison where have you been human?"
"A lot of places other than here." He grumbled and leaned against the small table and starred as Aldor wished the healer well and safe travels. "Why do people say "human" like it is an insult?"
"Because it is Nimandle. There aren't many humans anymore since the last Great War, same with Erudites. Your lucky you were only a few years old when it started and you were with your father in Felwithe. Then he was killed and I got placed with you. And now look at us, old hags." The mage sighed heavily and put the potion on the bedside table.
"I'm not old, but if you want to call yourself old go right ahead, even though High elfs don't age like normal people do."
"I'm old, I have seen to much."
"STOP COMPLAINING WOULD YOU!? Hold mother of Tunare!"
"Look who's talking." Aldor turned and went into a back room and left Nimandle standing there. They were both like little boys at heart always fighting and picking on each other but when time came they could be the most serious. Nimandle shouted through the door.
"I'm going for a walk."
"You do that.human." Aldor said right back through the door. The room where the girl lay was empty now. Quietness filled the small building and Aldor felt calm, he grabbed a book off of his ancient bookshelf that he had customized to fit a mages needs. He flipped open the leather cover and turned the cream pages carefully as he sat down. "A lot has changed since the Great War. Humans aren't found as often as well as Erudites and black hair is hard to come by, especially as black as hers. Most have dark brown.almost black but it is still brown. It puzzles me hers is black right to the root. This girl isn't normal I can say that much. Why did we have to bring her home, soon she will wake up and Nimandle will want to keep her." Aldor rolled his eyes at this thought. At least she was wood elf, which also surprised him. He pushed open the wooden door and looked at the girl once again. Not many elfs even had the black hair gene.is it dyed? He reached over her and inspected her hair.nope not dyed. Her eyes flickered open as Aldor reached over. She coughed slightly and startled Aldor almost flinging him into the wall with fright.
"Don't do that to me child."
"You're the mage." she said in a daze not fully awoken yet.
"Yes I am a mage, and yes I did save you, and yes this is my house, and yes there was a human with me and he is taking a walk right now and yes you have to drink this foul smelling stuff sitting on my table." He uncorked the bottle and shoved it into her mouth. He smiled brightly. "I hate playing 20 questions so I narrowed it down to 15 questions."
"I see." She said a little stronger this time.
"Oh and to make it 14, my name is Aldor, and my friend is Nimandle, he should be back in a little bit to talk to you." Aldor grinned again and put the empty bottle on the table again then whirled around to look at the girl again.
"You don't want to talk to me?" She asked puzzled.
There was silence in the small building.
"I want talk to you." Nimandle pushed his weight off of the open door frame and passed to where the girl was trying to sit up. "Aldor can you go back and put this away?" He handed the mage a bag full of rations. "I might need them when I leave tomorrow."
"And where are you going."
"Ruined City of Freeport, need to do some stuff there for awhile. Have a problem with that?"
"Not at all.neither should my guild."
"Excuse me.but you two don't get along do you?" the girl blinked her round saucer green eyes and coughed. She ran her slender hands over her ankles trying to feel the scrapes and scars.
"No we do just not today.a healer came earlier."
She nodded her black hair falling over her cheekbones. "My name is Tersha."
"I was getting around to that question before he walked in." Aldor starred over at Nimandle and laughed under his breath. "Where exactly do you come from?"
"Freeport, that's were I was born at least, before the war started then I moved to Erudin with my mother then she died of disease and my father took me to Fiona Vie, then he ran off and never came back and I was seven. The Druid guild took me in and trained me until I was 16 then they left me on my own."
"Your life story in three minutes, interesting." Aldor went to the back room and looked around for another book, something on warriors. He pulled one of the shelf and dusted the red cover off the opened to the middle section and was skimming though names of famous rouges.not expecting to find her name right in the middle of the left page. Highest Ranked Female Druid: Tersha Thindlewood. He read allowed to himself. That cannot be her she's only 16. He took the book into the other room and shoved it into Nimandle's face. He too skimmed the page and saw her name in the middle.
"What is your last name?"
"Thindlewood."
"I see." Nimandle looked over at Aldor curiously and he raised one eyebrow at this thought.
"I am sorry to bother you like this, you are both very kind to take me in and pay for a healer to come, but I should go, I don't mean to intrude. And you seem to need some rest since your traveling tomorrow." Tersha scooted to the edge of the bed and went to stand up. She instantly fell to the ground with a thud and Nimandle looked over the rim of the book and saw her laying there face flat on the wooden floorboards. He smiled gently and helped her up so she could regain her center of balance. She pushed her black hair over her shoulders and grabbed her sword. And stumbled towards the door. Aldor was already hibernating in the other room and Nimandle almost let her out of the open door before he said something more.
"You're her aren't you?"
"Am I who?"
"Her. Here in this book." He showed her the name in the center of the left page. And then read the description out loud. Black hair, green eyes, and cream skin, this is one druid that is not to be messed with, she is young and naive but worthy enough to hold the title of best ranked Female warrior in Norrath because of her expertise in Druid skills and trade--."
"Stop reading it." Tersha shut her eyes tightly and pierced her lips tightly closed. "It bothers me when people gloat at my title, I don't even deserve it, I never asked for it and plus if I was the best then why am I here because of those damn swamp crawlers?"
"I hold the same one." He turned the page and skimmed the parchment. And pointed to his name. "Nimandle Nergrowth.Highest ranked male Warrior. Aldor holds it for Mages.well he used to before he got "old"." He raised his voice hoping Aldor would hear him.
"Shut up HUMAN!" he shouted though the door and then rolled over on his small bed wanting to scream into his pillow.
"Where do you plan to go?" Nimandle stood up and looked at down at the elf.
"I don't know. Wherever my mind seems to want to take me, wherever I can be where no one knows who I am. There's something else." She looked down at the floor feeling dizzy. "Someone's after me, actually a whole guild is after me.I trust you enough to tell you this now." She stumbled to get the words out clearly.
"Aldor get in here." Nimandle said in a rushed voice.
"WHAT NOW!" He barged though the door and looked at Tersha than at Nimandle and instantly calmed his temper. "Yes?"
"The guild is called Shadow-Haven of the Mark, their leader wants to kill me, and so I have heard from roomers. I have been on the run since I was let go of the druid guild. Don't get involved let me go my own way, I can handle this." Tersha turned and left and the two men stood there at the door and watched her zone into Broken Freeport. Nimandle felt a pull to go get her back because he saved her he wanted to keep her alive.
"Nimandle, give it a rest, she says she got it, and it is Tersha Thindlewood.let it be." Aldor clasped Nimandle's shoulder and turned and was starting to walk back though the door.
"Hand me my sword."
"No you've gone mad!"
"Give it to me know, and get Silva and Darin info Freeport pronto."
"Silva and Darin? No way I am not asking my guild to release a cleric and an enchanter for a rescue mission."
"Aldor do it now." Nimandle was becoming stern and over tempered. He didn't care about anything else anymore. He looked at Aldor and he nodded his head.
"Their on their way."
"Are you coming?"
"Well if you got my guild involved and it is you, of course I am going, but I am not happy about going."
"Do as you will but this should be fun.don't ruin it."
Aldor tossed Nimandle his sword and they both walked out of the building, closing the door behind them. The zoned quietly into Broken Freeport.