Surprise Reunion

When Anara left on the horse to speak with her friend in town, Valen began searching around the house and the barn for something that could be used as a weapon. He was a fighter, and he felt naked without a weapon in his hands. The search of the house turned up nothing useful. Short of breaking some furniture and using the legs of a chair for a club, there was nothing.

The yard wasn't any better. He knew that she and her husband were farmers, and as such probably didn't own anything on par with a longsword or a flail. But he did expect that they would have some kind of sharp farming implements: scythes, pitchforks, something.

Finally in a seldom used corner of the barn, he found what he was looking for. As he pulled the scythe of the wall, he noted that although the blade was dull there was no rust. It would be serviceable if he could sharpen it up. He began a new search for a sharpening stone. He walked around the barn, looking through drawers and chests. The cow watched him with her mournful brown eyes.

Shoved away in a forgotten tool chest was a whetstone and some oil. Grabbing these items, Valen stepped out into the yard. He found a log to sit on and began slowly sharpening the scythe. The sun was shining and the air was warm, but not hot. Birds sang and squirrels chattered in the nearby trees. It was pleasant. It was something he'd never experienced in the Abyss, or even in Sigil. There was nothing to compare to this place: how much would he miss this place when he was gone?

The stone dragging across the blade of the scythe made a comforting 'swick' sound. He sat there, his mind focused on the task of sharpening the blade. A loud pop came from the woods, a sound like lightening racing through the heavens. He was so absorbed in his task, that he almost didn't hear it. Something made him look up though, and he saw what the spell had brought to him.

The creature walking into the yard would be mistaken as a woman by most. She had black hair and dark eyes that offset her pale skin. Her figure was curvaceous and tantalizing. The black leather armor she wore didn't leave much to the imagination. She was beautiful by anyone's standards. And everywhere she went a faint smell of lavender followed. A small pair of wings emerged from her back as she took to the air and landed directly in front of him.

"Ah, Valen. Just the yummy tiefling I've been searching for," she said, her voice a sigh that sent chills up and down his spine. Fortunately, he'd dealt with her before and was resistant to her charms.

"Syhadeen. I figured Grimash't would send someone after me, but I didn't know who he'd send first. Still doing his dirty work, are you?" He dragged the stone across the blade, putting an even finer edge on the scythe. Swick.

"But he always has the most interesting assignments. I'd chase after you for free. The fact that he's paying me just made this little job too hard to resist." She took a step closer to him, desire smoldering in her eyes. Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips, a move that usually got a man's attention.

"Don't bother trying your charms on me, Syhadeen. You aren't a full blown succubus. You are still half human. And I know what you are. Your wiles won't work on me." He met her eyes, still drawing the stone across the blade. Swick.

The alu-fiend reached up a clawed hand to stroke his cheek. Valen flinched, stepping back over the log and hoisting the scythe up into a fighting stance. Syhadeen hissed and stepped back, barring her teeth.

"Are you sure you can't be tempted, grokmal? We could have so much fun…" she purred at Valen, leaning over a little and shaking her hip at him in a suggestive fashion.

"It would be fun right up until you sucked away my life essence. Then I'm afraid the enjoyment would be gone for me. No, I'll have to decline your offer." He brought the scythe up in front of him, giving it a flourish to show his intentions if she stayed. He didn't expect her to. She wasn't one for a direct fight – her tactics were to seduce and destroy. It was something she was quite good at.

The fiend shook her head, her raven hair glowing in the sunlight. "It's too bad it has to be this way, grokmal. Coupling would be so much more fun…" With that she pulled a dagger from her waist, its blade cruel and twisted. The blade rose up into the sunlight and she uttered an ear piercing scream and ran at the tiefling.

As she rushed him, Valen brought the scythe down in an arc to slice across her chest. The blade was sharp and cut deeply into her torso. He stepped aside as she kept charging, her momentum carrying her over the log and to the spot where he had been standing. As her back was to him, he thrust down again. This time he left a deep gouge in her back. He stepped back again, kicking the log out of the way.

She turned around, fury in her eyes. Her wings furled out and she took to the sky, kicking Valen in the head as she did so. Then she dove down on his position, the dagger pointed at his chest.

At the last minute he reached up with the scythe, trying to cut her down out of the air. If she continued to attack from that position, she would have the upper hand. But he knew that her stamina wouldn't hold long for an aerial fight. That and the fact that normally she didn't fight hand to hand at all made him think she was just about done.

He was right. She landed on her feet in front of him, breathing heavily. The dagger disappeared into her belt and she gave him a mock bow. "Once again your prowess proves itself. I cannot match you on your terms, and you will not agree to mine. Farewell, Valen Shadowbreath. Know that I am only the first he has sent against you. There will be others. They will not be as easily dispatched as me. You would have done better to deal with me." Then she disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the faint scent of lavender drifting in the air behind her.

The shaft of the scythe came to rest on the ground. He wasn't even breathing hard. It was too easy. She was just here to see where he was. There would be others: she was right about that. He looked up to find Anara sitting on her horse, staring at him in fear.

OOO

Anara made her way back to the farm, pleased that she had managed to get the information she wanted out of Cara with so little prodding. She could get some things together and they could be off to see the witch tomorrow, if need be. There were the animals to provide for, and the house needed to be shuttered up if they were going to be gone for a while.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she wanted to go with the tiefling. It wasn't just because he seemed to need her: she honestly wanted to go. It had been too long since she'd been out in the world, and she was ready for a trip. Maybe she'd even find her parents. Maybe not. They would only try and entice her back into their world. She wasn't ready for that.

The road took a turn right before the short path to her farm. As she rounded the curve, the sight that greeted her in her yard left her speechless.

A beautiful woman with wings was hovering in the air above Valen. She dove at him, the sunlight glinting off something in her hands. Valen swiped at her with a scythe and then she landed. A loud crack reverberated through the air and the woman was gone. Anara sat there on Violet, her jaw dropping.

Valen turned to look at her, the scythe deadly looking in his hands. If she hadn't just seen that little tussle, she wouldn't have believed it. He had told her he was a fighter, but she hadn't stopped to think what that actually meant. Now she knew. He killed people. It was what he had done for years just to stay alive.

In silence she walked Violet to the barn, lost in her thoughts. The woman in the yard – had she come for him, like he'd said they would? She must have, because people around here didn't have wings. And she'd had this unearthly beauty that Anara had seldom seen. No, she definitely wasn't from around here.

Quiet with shock, Anara made her way out into her yard to stand in front of Valen. The scythe still dripped with blood. She tore her eyes away from the weapon to look at Valen's face. His expression was grim and determined. Here was the fighter that he'd told her he was. He was no longer the injured man she'd saved from certain death.

"What was that?" she croaked out, needing to know exactly what had transpired in her yard this afternoon.

"That was Syhadeen. She is an alu-fiend – a half demon woman," he said as he wiped the blade of the scythe on the grass. Then he sat down and began polishing and sharpening the edge again. The weapon still needed some work if it was going to be serviceable.

"But…" Anara stammered. "What was she doing here?" Adrenaline raced through her heart in fear of this man she'd taken into her home.

"Looking for me. I told you that they would come after me. She was just the first." He paused briefly and looked up at the pale woman in front of him. "I didn't kill her – she teleported out before I had the chance. You don't have to be afraid."

The yard hummed with the buzzing of insects and the chirping of birds. The heat of the afternoon put a shimmer on everything, making it seem as if they were under water. Anara stood there, shocked into silence by what she had witnessed. Valen sat there, sharpening the blade on the scythe. It was real. He was a hunted man, and things were coming after him. She wasn't sure now, that she would follow him.

What had seemed a good idea just 30 minutes ago now seemed like a bad idea with each passing moment. She couldn't fight – had never tried. If creatures were going to be following them, trying to kill Valen or capture him, there wasn't going to be much she could offer in the way of defense. And yet… he didn't know this world. Ack, Anara didn't know what to think or do.

"I got directions to Rothol's place. We can leave now, or wait until morning. It's still early enough in the afternoon, I reckon we could get there in just a few hours if we rode Violet." Her words ran together as she rushed through the sentence. She was going to play this by ear. Go to Rothol's with the tiefling, and then see what happens. What could happen in one afternoon?