It was hot. By God, it was hot. A young woman opened her eyes and was
nearly blinded by the sun. So THAT was why it was so hot. She lifted her
hand off the ground and placed rested it on her stomach. Where was she? An
even better question was why she was naked.
As she moved she felt cool grass against her back. She sat up slowly and looked around. She was in the middle of a thick forest, surrounded by a patch of light shining down through a break in the trees.
She jumped as she felt a burning sensation on her leg. Slapping her hand over the spot, she looked down, wondering what had caused the sudden pain. Slowly, she lifted her hand and she saw it. A scar in the shape of an eye.
She felt that she should know the significance of this, but couldn't remember. It felt like water in a cup too full of the liquid, brimming over the edge, waiting for the final drop to break the surface tension and make it spill. She could feel the knowledge at the end of her mind, but she could not grasp it.
She stood on shaky legs and nearly fell back to the ground, then took one step to the side in order to broaden her stance. Stumbling, she shuffled over to a tree and leaned against it, trying to gather her mind. Nothing came to her, and after a moment, she decided that it would be best to just walk in a straight line and hope that she ran into someone.
The girl sighed with relief as she approached a town. Maybe she could get some clothes. She watched as a man looked up at her. He seemed to gape at her naked form for a moment, then his eyes fell upon the scar on her leg and recognition flickered through his eyes. They widened in fear as he turned and ran into the town.
"She's back! She's back!!"
The girl had a confused look on her face as she watched the man run away from her, calling to the town. Back? She looked down at what the man had been doing before he ran away. There was a half-dug grave with a body lying next to it. The wind picked up as a scent filled her nostrils. It was a particular scent, one that she recognized, although she didn't know how she knew it. It was the scent of blood.
It was then that she noticed the town. Blood was sprayed all over the ground. It looked like it had pooled in some placed, now sucked up by the dirt.
Her eyes widened at the scene. A group of men ran up to her, bearing swords, and one with a bow and arrows. She froze, unable to figure out why they were going to try to hurt her. Before she realized what she was doing, her body reacted to the danger. As the men neared her, without her having to consciously take action, her right foot stepped behind her, making her body crouch into a defensive stance.
The first man reached her and slashed downwards at her. She sprung easily out of the way, landing without a sound a few feet away. She spun her body around as she raised up her leg, roundhouse kicking the guy in the jaw. His body spun around as she heard a crack. His neck was broken. His body fell limply to the ground. She stared at his motionless form, tears forming in her eyes at what she had done. She swatted them away quickly.
What was going on? She didn't even do that consciously. It was like........ a reflex. She felt something and looked up from the man on the ground. Her eyes fell upon the man with the bow. He had an arrow notched and ready to fire. He loosed the arrow. She watched as things seemed to move in slow motion. She dropped to the ground and rolled, the arrow flying past her.
Another man ran at her with his sword. "Where is your sword?!" he screamed at her. "Will you not fight back? Do you think us so weak that you need no weapon???!!!" he screamed with an emotion filled voice, slashing down at her. She stared at him in confusion.
"What sword?"
"The one that you killed my entire family with!!" The girl dodged another attack. He lunged forward, continuing forward when she stepped to the side. As he fell forward, the girl reached out her hand and hit the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious. There was one more man. He had two long knives.
Something seemed to click in her mind. Long knives. She had no time to ponder it, however, as the man slashed at her with both hands. She knocked them away from him, sending them skittering across the ground. Now the man jumped on her, pushing her to the ground, and began to strangle her.
"What?" he asked, "Not in the mood to kill any more? I can see why after you slaughtered nearly the entire village!" he screamed, tears in his eyes.
"It wasn't me!" she choked out, not really sure if it was her or not.
"Oh, wasn't it? So you are saying that another person, who looked like you, with that same eye scar did it?" He sneered at her as he clamped his hands more tightly around her neck. Her body took over again.
She reached up each of her hands and slammed them into the back of his locked elbows, breaking his arms. The bones in each arm burst through the skin at the impact, causing the man to reel back as he screamed out in pain. The girl jumped from the ground and ran into the town, away from the bodies of the fallen men.
She had to get out of here, but needed clothes. She ran into a shop that was along one of the roads and ran inside. Nobody was there. It was as though the town really HAD been wiped out. But had she done it? She shook her head, trying to make the thought leave her mind. She grabbed some clothes out of the small shop and ran out of the town, returning to the refuge of the forest.
As she dressed, she thought about what he had said. Another person who looked exactly like her........ the eye scar....... Could it be that she really did it? Maybe she had done it and didn't remember it. She couldn't remember anything else about herself, maybe she had really killed those people. Tears of frustration sprung into her eyes. What the hell was going on?! She was so confused.
She looked down at the clothing she had put on. It appeared that the seamstress who was making this dress hadn't finished it. There was only one sleeve and the sides of the dress weren't sewn together, making slits that ran up to her thighs. Great, one more thing. The one sleeve was annoying her, so she ripped it off, but kept it in case she might need it later.
She walked through the forest, wondering where she was going, and not really knowing what she would do. Her mind was plagued with the fact that she may have killed an entire village.
The man rode the black horse into the town, expecting the usual greeting that he got from the people. He was there to retrieve some weapons that he had dropped off to be fixed. The scene that met him was horrifying. Blood and bodies were everywhere. Blood soaked the dirt, and the town reeked of death. He stopped the horse and stared.
A man ran up to him. "Oh, you are here! I wish that you would have been here an hour ago."
"What happened, Illa?" the man on the horse asked.
"It was a woman. She came to the village and slaughtered everyone."
"How did she do this? You said it was only a woman?"
"Yes, she carried a sword. Something about her was different, it seemed so........ unnatural. The sword was of an odd design. Only one side of the blade was sharpened, and the blade was curved. It seemed to be Elven, but different. When she approached the town first, she wore a cloak. When she came back, she wore nothing and carried no sword. She had a strange scar on her body."
"Strange scar?" the man asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Yes, it was that of an open eye."
The man's eyes widened. An eye shaped scar? "Where are the weapons that I gave to you?"
Illa pulled two long knives out of a pouch attached to his belt. "You said that they may need to be fixed, but they didn't. They almost seemed to maintain themselves. The design is so odd, unlike any I have ever seen. Now that I think about it, they seem to be of the same craft as that sword was. Where did you get them?" The man on the horse took the long knives and turned the horse quickly to go, pausing to ask the man a question.
"This girl, do you know which direction she went when she left?"
"Yes, but where did you get these weapons?" he asked curiously, pointing in the direction that the girl had gone.
The man on the horse smiled. "I got them from a young woman with an eye shaped scar." He sped off in the direction she had gone, not catching the look of shock on Illa's face. 'Could it really be?' he thought. 'But why would she slaughter an entire town? Erin, what is going on?'
As she moved she felt cool grass against her back. She sat up slowly and looked around. She was in the middle of a thick forest, surrounded by a patch of light shining down through a break in the trees.
She jumped as she felt a burning sensation on her leg. Slapping her hand over the spot, she looked down, wondering what had caused the sudden pain. Slowly, she lifted her hand and she saw it. A scar in the shape of an eye.
She felt that she should know the significance of this, but couldn't remember. It felt like water in a cup too full of the liquid, brimming over the edge, waiting for the final drop to break the surface tension and make it spill. She could feel the knowledge at the end of her mind, but she could not grasp it.
She stood on shaky legs and nearly fell back to the ground, then took one step to the side in order to broaden her stance. Stumbling, she shuffled over to a tree and leaned against it, trying to gather her mind. Nothing came to her, and after a moment, she decided that it would be best to just walk in a straight line and hope that she ran into someone.
The girl sighed with relief as she approached a town. Maybe she could get some clothes. She watched as a man looked up at her. He seemed to gape at her naked form for a moment, then his eyes fell upon the scar on her leg and recognition flickered through his eyes. They widened in fear as he turned and ran into the town.
"She's back! She's back!!"
The girl had a confused look on her face as she watched the man run away from her, calling to the town. Back? She looked down at what the man had been doing before he ran away. There was a half-dug grave with a body lying next to it. The wind picked up as a scent filled her nostrils. It was a particular scent, one that she recognized, although she didn't know how she knew it. It was the scent of blood.
It was then that she noticed the town. Blood was sprayed all over the ground. It looked like it had pooled in some placed, now sucked up by the dirt.
Her eyes widened at the scene. A group of men ran up to her, bearing swords, and one with a bow and arrows. She froze, unable to figure out why they were going to try to hurt her. Before she realized what she was doing, her body reacted to the danger. As the men neared her, without her having to consciously take action, her right foot stepped behind her, making her body crouch into a defensive stance.
The first man reached her and slashed downwards at her. She sprung easily out of the way, landing without a sound a few feet away. She spun her body around as she raised up her leg, roundhouse kicking the guy in the jaw. His body spun around as she heard a crack. His neck was broken. His body fell limply to the ground. She stared at his motionless form, tears forming in her eyes at what she had done. She swatted them away quickly.
What was going on? She didn't even do that consciously. It was like........ a reflex. She felt something and looked up from the man on the ground. Her eyes fell upon the man with the bow. He had an arrow notched and ready to fire. He loosed the arrow. She watched as things seemed to move in slow motion. She dropped to the ground and rolled, the arrow flying past her.
Another man ran at her with his sword. "Where is your sword?!" he screamed at her. "Will you not fight back? Do you think us so weak that you need no weapon???!!!" he screamed with an emotion filled voice, slashing down at her. She stared at him in confusion.
"What sword?"
"The one that you killed my entire family with!!" The girl dodged another attack. He lunged forward, continuing forward when she stepped to the side. As he fell forward, the girl reached out her hand and hit the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious. There was one more man. He had two long knives.
Something seemed to click in her mind. Long knives. She had no time to ponder it, however, as the man slashed at her with both hands. She knocked them away from him, sending them skittering across the ground. Now the man jumped on her, pushing her to the ground, and began to strangle her.
"What?" he asked, "Not in the mood to kill any more? I can see why after you slaughtered nearly the entire village!" he screamed, tears in his eyes.
"It wasn't me!" she choked out, not really sure if it was her or not.
"Oh, wasn't it? So you are saying that another person, who looked like you, with that same eye scar did it?" He sneered at her as he clamped his hands more tightly around her neck. Her body took over again.
She reached up each of her hands and slammed them into the back of his locked elbows, breaking his arms. The bones in each arm burst through the skin at the impact, causing the man to reel back as he screamed out in pain. The girl jumped from the ground and ran into the town, away from the bodies of the fallen men.
She had to get out of here, but needed clothes. She ran into a shop that was along one of the roads and ran inside. Nobody was there. It was as though the town really HAD been wiped out. But had she done it? She shook her head, trying to make the thought leave her mind. She grabbed some clothes out of the small shop and ran out of the town, returning to the refuge of the forest.
As she dressed, she thought about what he had said. Another person who looked exactly like her........ the eye scar....... Could it be that she really did it? Maybe she had done it and didn't remember it. She couldn't remember anything else about herself, maybe she had really killed those people. Tears of frustration sprung into her eyes. What the hell was going on?! She was so confused.
She looked down at the clothing she had put on. It appeared that the seamstress who was making this dress hadn't finished it. There was only one sleeve and the sides of the dress weren't sewn together, making slits that ran up to her thighs. Great, one more thing. The one sleeve was annoying her, so she ripped it off, but kept it in case she might need it later.
She walked through the forest, wondering where she was going, and not really knowing what she would do. Her mind was plagued with the fact that she may have killed an entire village.
The man rode the black horse into the town, expecting the usual greeting that he got from the people. He was there to retrieve some weapons that he had dropped off to be fixed. The scene that met him was horrifying. Blood and bodies were everywhere. Blood soaked the dirt, and the town reeked of death. He stopped the horse and stared.
A man ran up to him. "Oh, you are here! I wish that you would have been here an hour ago."
"What happened, Illa?" the man on the horse asked.
"It was a woman. She came to the village and slaughtered everyone."
"How did she do this? You said it was only a woman?"
"Yes, she carried a sword. Something about her was different, it seemed so........ unnatural. The sword was of an odd design. Only one side of the blade was sharpened, and the blade was curved. It seemed to be Elven, but different. When she approached the town first, she wore a cloak. When she came back, she wore nothing and carried no sword. She had a strange scar on her body."
"Strange scar?" the man asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Yes, it was that of an open eye."
The man's eyes widened. An eye shaped scar? "Where are the weapons that I gave to you?"
Illa pulled two long knives out of a pouch attached to his belt. "You said that they may need to be fixed, but they didn't. They almost seemed to maintain themselves. The design is so odd, unlike any I have ever seen. Now that I think about it, they seem to be of the same craft as that sword was. Where did you get them?" The man on the horse took the long knives and turned the horse quickly to go, pausing to ask the man a question.
"This girl, do you know which direction she went when she left?"
"Yes, but where did you get these weapons?" he asked curiously, pointing in the direction that the girl had gone.
The man on the horse smiled. "I got them from a young woman with an eye shaped scar." He sped off in the direction she had gone, not catching the look of shock on Illa's face. 'Could it really be?' he thought. 'But why would she slaughter an entire town? Erin, what is going on?'
