Shiloh considered herself lucky that she couldn't see the actually bridge. Or maybe she was the most unfortunate; She couldn't decide. She could she the pale green auras of the grass that dropped off into nothingness as the only living things besides the flora was her companions. Their various colors not quite reaching the abyss. She could hear the rushing water beneath the unseen bridge at the edge of light, invisible to her eyes. "Hey, don't worry it is a lot more stable than it looks," Asher comforted, not noticing that the other couldn't even see the bridge, "I can hold your hand if you want." His tone was smooth with only the barest hint of flirting; he was actually concerned about her. The blind girl wasn't sure how much she could trust him.
Tanya huffed beside her, clearly annoyed at the flirty tone that the other had. "You don't have to if you don't want to," the other girl stated. She stepped closer to the blind girl in a protective manner.
"That would be appreciated," Shiloh responded, holding out her hand to him. Asher grabbed it gently. Tanya walked ahead with the rest of the group, she didn't seem upset at the young man, just wary. She joined Jay at the front of the group. The two of them stepped onto the darkness that was the bridge. Salken and Ivy soon followed.
Asher squeezed her hand gently. "The bridge is only wide enough for two to walk side by side," he explained. "The wood panels have an inch gap between them." Shiloh nodded feeling a little more at ease with the description that the other give her. "It is going to sway a little as we step on it, but feel free to lean on me if you need to," Asher flirted. Shiloh rolled her eyes but she chuckled a little. The blind girl looked ahead at the pale green forest ahead across the river. Splotches of orange, red, and other colors darker than the foliage wove through the trees.
"There is someone in the trees," She called out to the pair in front of the group.
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Tanya heard the blind girl's call. Ever the cautious one she pulled Jay down closer to the wooden planks. The prince held up his shield, blocking an arrow. It hit with a tiny clink, harmlessly avoiding both of them. The girl with the hair scarf pulled out her sword, rising above the shield to slice at a man who stepped onto the bridge. She missed as the bridge swayed. Her sword barely missed the ropes that held up the bridge. The man backed in surprise as an arrow slammed into his leather armor. Another arrow flew past him to strike another combatant behind the first man. Jay blocked a blow aimed for her and she swung her sword, striking the man. A wild wind sent him unbalanced into the water below. Asher's work no doubt. An arrow struck the ground far away from the bridge its ice tip freezing the grass. The ice grew effectively isolating the trio of attackers from their archer cover. The rapid growth could have only been caused by Salken's dust semblance.
The wind was picking up again starting to swirl, causing the leaves behind the ice wall to rustle violently. A red spark flew to the wind, rising as a fire. Shiloh undoubtly with the help of Asher and a bit from Salken created a large tornado of fire that ate the trees hungrily. Tanya wasn't paying attention to any of it though. Between her and Jay, they were holding the enemy at bay. Jay would shield her and she would attack.
Arrow cover from Robin and Harriet kept the enemy on their toes. Tanya wasn't one for overconfidence, but this fight was as good as over. The enemy in their tattered leather armor must have felt the same. Only one man remained, his comrades laying still on the grass.
The man was panicked at the sight of the group of rescuers. He snapped his fingers and sparks of fire flared to life on the ropes holding up the bridge. The bridge lunged beneath the groups feet. Tanya reached out to Jay to steady the prince. The blue-haired young man got his balance only to push the girl back. In her moment of distraction, the enemy struck with his sword. It missed her, but grazed Jay with its sharp edge. Salken stepped forward, killing the man with his sword. The bridge gave a final lurge and the ropes snapped. The sound was loud nearly as loud as the various shouts as the bridge gave way.
Tanya could feel her stomach go to her throat as the wooden platform beneath her fell away. She reached out to Jay instinctually. He did the same. Their hands met and they wove their fingers together. Tanya then reached out to Salken. The other teen's fingers slipped from hers as the group hit the water.
The impact was swift and the force nearly tore Jay from her grasp. The water was swift and the waves threatened to push her under. With her single free hand she clawed her way to the surface. She took gasps of air before the water crashed over her head again. Both hands pulled her head out of the water again. She flinched startled, where was Jay? She opened her chestnut eyes against her white water. She could see the bobbing heads of her comrades. She tried to call for them, but water rushed into her mouth.
She felt a strong pull on her arm. She reached up and with the strength of whoever had her was pulled onto an collapsed tree that fell into the roaring river. "Are you okay, Tanya?" Jay's panting voice asked. She nodded mutely at the soaked prince. "We have to get the others," he said, pointing to the now empty water.
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The rush of battle replaced itself with the cold shock of fear as the bridge collapsed. Salken could feel gravity work on him. It was exciting ,a rush he never felt reading his books. A dangerous rush. He felt a hand reach out to grasp his but the crash of the water tore the fingers away. Salken was starting to panic; he lived in a desert. He didn't know how to swim, seeing this much water was unusual. The angry fluid was pushing him this way and that. He couldn't even tell what was up anymore.
He wondered to himself what it would be like to drown. Would all of the light around him fade to black peacefully? Would he be squirming as the darkness consumed him. A physical pull helped him break the surface.
He opened his orange eyes ignoring the water that dripped from his short dark hair. Ivy was floating precariously in front of him. "Don't panic, sweetie. Just float with it," the older woman calmly stated. She raised one hand filled with ice-tipped arrows. Without any prompting, Salken knew what to do. He touched the arrows briefly activating his semblance before going beneath the waves. The water cooled considerably as ice formed in front of them. Ivy climbed the slippery surface first, reaching out to Salken who nearly slipped from the ice. The two crawled their way to the river's edge. Their ice bridge cracking behind them, chucks of ice floated down the empty river.
Salken laid on the ground, breathing heavily, "Wow, that was fun. Not the almost drowning part, but … maybe that part too."
Ivy laughed at the strange man, "That was more excitement than I have had for a long time." Salken couldn't catch his breath, his muscles were sore. His body was telling him to rest. "You used your semblance a lot back there. You should rest for a moment. We can find the others after you wake up." The woman brushed his wet black hair out of his face. Concern was written all over her face. Salken blinked sleepy.
"I can keep going. I have plenty of energy left," the man said his voice trailing off as his eyes slowly closed. He knew that the woman said she wasn't a witch, but she must have put some sort of sleeping spell on him. His orange eyes closed slowly as his breathing slowed to an even pace.
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Robin was too far to do anything as the fire ate at the ropes holding the bridge up. He was prepared when the bridge gave way. He called to Harriet as they fell; they had to stay together as much as they could. He was unsure if she heard him before the water crashed into them.
Robin was competent in the water. His step-father would be appalled if he wasn't. The faunus was quick to regain his bearings. He paddled confidently, keeping his head above the rough water. He narrowed his amber eyes at the rough river, trying without avail to find the others.
He started to worry. He felt responsible for them. He was clearly the one with the most experience in the spaces between city-states. He pushed his way through the water. He had to get to the shore as soon as he could. The angry river tried to pull him down, but he refused to let it. He fought the water to keep himself above the turmoil. His hood was press uncomfortably against his skull. It was blocking his view. He pulled it angrily, the water took its opportunity to bury the Faunus under its coils.
The hunter beat back the water. Kicking as gracefully as he could he carved a path to the river's side. His hands grasped the tall grass that lined the river. The roots were too weak, ripping themselves from the soaked ground. He clawed at the dirt, pulling himself from the river that roared at his feet. He sat, catching his breath.
His wolf ears caught the sound of someone coughing. He pushed himself to his feet tiredly. He padded slowly toward the sound of coughing. Pink was the first sign that it was Harriet. "How are you doing, Harriet?" he asked announcing his presence.
The teenage girl looked over her shoulder. Her long dark hair was soaked and her dark eyes looked tired. "I am okay, I think," she said. "And you? How are you?"
"I am well," Robin responded, sitting himself down next to her. "We can't rest for long. We have to find the others." The Faunus took a deep breath to steel himself before getting to his feet. He helped Harriet to hers. The girl blushed but turned away with a cough.
"They must be further downstream," Harriet spoke up, not looking at the Faunus. Robin nodded.
"At least this river would take us to Nullah," the Faunus replied. "We actually might not be that far from Oriole and her captors."
"At least something good came out of it," Harriet said as she wrung out her hair. Robin did like-wise with his green hair.
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Asher knew that they were all too high off the water. At this height, the impact would break bones at best; kill them at worst. He read plenty of books at home, even some notes about prisoners who were on the wrong side of his country. He reached for his semblance as much as he could. The wind listened to his command, wrapping around his friends, his companions, slowing their fall.
Shiloh's scream was loud at his side. She was so nervous about the bridge. The thought struck him quickly; she was afraid of water. She probably couldn't swim. He pulled her close, the blind girl buried her face into his chest. Asher held onto her as tightly as he dared as he hit the water hit his back.
Both of them broke the surface of the water at the same time. Asher struggled to keep the both of them above the water. Shiloh was trying to stay calm, but tears were slipping out of the corners of her eyes. "We're just going to float. It's okay. Everything is okay," Asher coaxed. It was so startling to see the unshakable Shiloh physically shaking with fear. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. The two turned to their backs. The water was buffeting against them, but Asher made sure to encourage the girl. Even if he went under for a second, he made sure that Shiloh didn't.
Asher guided the pair through the angry river. With much effort he pulled the two onto shore. He knelt there on hands and knees beside Shiloh who was curled into herself. "We're out. We're safe now," Asher said breathlessly. The girl lowered her head to her knees as she sobbed softly. "Whoa, why all the tears? Your strong hero saved us," Asher boasted, his tone not quite the proper one for boasting.
"I should be dead. I was sure that my fate was sealed," the girl answered shakingly.
Pft. That's why fate isn't a thing. If was was real, I wouldn't be here to bug you," Asher joked playfully.
"Where would you be?" Shiloh asked, trying to calm herself.
"Trapped with my brothers and dad. This is much better," Asher responded truthfully.
"Because there are pretty girls?" Shiloh asked as her breathing began to even and she felt more like herself again.
"No, because my friends are here. It also helps that my friends are pretty easy on the eyes," Asher teased. Shiloh laughed softly.
"Do you know why I believe in fate?" she asked softly.
"No, frankly I find it ridiculous," Asher answered.
"Why else would I be born like this? Why would I be blind? Why were my parents killed?" Shiloh asked.
"I don't know your life, but I do know just because you are born into a situation or something happens to you doesn't mean you have no control over your life," Asher responded, his tone knowingly. "We can talk about this later though. First we have to find everyone else. I am sure Harriet or Tanya are missing my beautiful face."
Shiloh shook her head in fake annoyance. "Thank you, Asher."
"No problem. Next time you can save me," he responded with a playful wink.
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Oriole was really starting to hate this. Draped over the back of a horse like a freshly hunted deer, was demeaning. Not to mention that she could feel bruises form on the soft skin of her stomach. Roux gave her another sympathetic look, her ears were turned back completing the 'kicked dog' look.
The princess gave her a smile. That was something she was good at, at least. Her mind drifted back to her brother. He was in danger. He could already be dead; Oriole shook her head. As strange as it sounded, she knew that he was alive. She could feel it like her own heartbeat.
The horse that carried her stopped. Demetri dismounted, giving her an ugly look. Though if Oriole was honest, the man's face was just ugly in general. He handed the reigns to Roux and muttered a threat to the Faunus. "Here, you must be thirsty," Carmine's voice said as a canteen was pressed to her face. With a surprising amount of care, the mercenary tilted the container to her mouth. She drank the cool water greedily. "I may have a treat somewhere here," he replied before pulling a bag of dried fruit.
"Aww, I knew you had a soft spot," Oriole teased, a habit she probably should stop.
Carmine smirked, "Don't tell anyone." His face became serious, "I am serious. I am not cruel, but I will not tolerate anyone thinking that I am soft."
"Pft, okay. Mr. Tough Guy. You know you would be a good guard. You don't let me have any fun," Oriole complained as the mercenary fed her.
"Aren't you two getting cozy," Roux commented, stealing a piece of fruit.
"Jealous? Too bad, I don't share," Oriole chirped. "Oh on second thought. Feed Roux too," the princess said, pointing as best as she could with her bound hands. Carmine rolled his eyes. Roux held a piece of copper in her hand and opened her mouth. He frowned tossing the fruit expertly into her mouth if a bit forcibly. Roux coughed but handed the mercenary his pay. She chewed thoughtfully as Carmine gave Oriole another piece of fruit.
"It appears that Demetri is coming back," Carmine noted, putting away the bag of treats. Oriole huffed annoyed, but didn't say anything. She wouldn't get the mercenary in trouble. A pair of hands wrapped themselves around her hips and she was lifted from the horse's back. She caught her balance as quickly as she could as she was set on her feet.
She wowed in amazement as she finally got to see Nullah's walls. The stone was a pure white a stark difference from the earthy tones of Dale's walls. Intricate carvings filled the walls; her eyes could see dragons and depictions of the brother of creation. Demetri pushed her forward, not being gentle. Oriole walked forward without further prompting. Her bare feet barely felt the cobble stones beneath her, meticulously maintained from Grimm and elements. "You are to remain silent as Amari speaks to the Head," Demetri stated as the pair entered the city through its shiny gate. Oriole looked around as she was paraded down the street. The houses and shops were cute with thrashed roofs and white stone walls. All she could see were humans as they walked along their business. There was no Faunus in sight, even in Dale Faunus servants could be seen on the streets. She wanted to see more, but she was pulled away from the normal day-to-day activities toward the large elaborate building in the center of the state.