Mikael's boots sunk into the mud as he trudged through the forest the young woman still unconscious in his arms, the rain pelted down on them, but he didn't care the Woman in his arms was his main priority at the moment, his eyes were scanning the terrain around him for any form of shelter from the elements
It seemed that luck favoured him, however, his eyes landed on a cave slightly concealed by a fallen tree its limbs hanging down hiding the entrance it would make good shelter and seemed rather defendable if the beast happened to come upon them.
Ducking under a limb he entered, the dwelling was small but would serve as a shelter until the storm had passed. gently laying the girl down on the dirt-covered floor he covered her with what remained of her cloak before turning towards the dead tree covering the entrance. drawing a Daedric dagger Mikael began hacking away some of the trees dry limbs to use as firewood.
With the aid of some destruction magic, a small campfire sat in the centre of the cave coating the walls in an amber light moving over to the girl Mikael rolled her over slightly, so he could get a better look at the wound, the bleeding had stopped, and the arrow didn't appear to have hit anything major.
What surprised him though was how quickly the wound appeared to be healing, he could heal fast one of the many perks as Dragonborn, but this was abnormal even for him setting her back to her original position Mikael managed to get a good look at her.
She was rather Beautiful Exotic dark skin that was flawless and bared no blemishes, dark brown hair that stopped just above her shoulders, with a slim athletic figure it showed how she was able to hold her own against greater numbers for so long.
He shook those thought out of his head it was hardly an appropriate time to be doing such things, moving over to the cave mouth Mikael crouched down resting his shoulder against the stone wall keeping watch.
/
Amber stirred a pained moan escaping her lips as her eyes slowly opened her vision was hazy at first before it came back into focus staring up at a stone ceiling orange light dancing across it.
"What?... Wher-" Amber tried to push herself up into a sitting position only for pain to shoot through her body, hissing she grabbed her side. A hand gently pushed her down onto her back the pain slowly receding
"Easy...you took quite the hit back there you need to rest" the voice said blinking back a few tears Amber turned her head to the side her Dark brown eyes meeting a pair of sky blue that looked down at her in concern "relax I'm not going to hurt you I brought you hear after I dealt with your attackers" the man said
She lay there confused for a moment before the memories came flooding back, the fight she had been in, how close she had come to a fate worse than death and being saved by a cloaked figure in black leather armor a few moments before she lost consciousness
The fall maiden looked up to her savior with gratitude "Thank you*cough*... for saving my life" Amber said her voice cracked slightly from a dry throat, the man held out a small wooden cup fashioned from a hollow log filled with water
"Think nothing of it" the man responded as she took the cup from his hands slowly drinking the contents " how are you feeling I couldn't tell whether you had suffered any internal damage aside from a few cracked ribs, so I fixed up what I could." the man said indicating to her shoulder
Amber's right hand trailed up to her shoulder wrapped in a piece of her cloak as a makeshift bandage, giving it a few rotations wincing as it ached slightly "still a bit sore but my aura should deal with the rest once it replenishes"
Mikael blinked a few times 'What does she mean by Aura'
"Why were they after you?" he asked
Amber stare down at the 'cup' in her hands her face reflecting back at her from the remaining water inside, she could think of one reason why someone would want to ambush her and attempt to weaken her but none besides the people in her home village knew who she truly was. no one she knew would tell a soul... so how did they know
"I have no idea" Amber replied with a sigh as much as she was grateful to the unknown man for saving her she had been warned about reviling who she truly was, she had no knowledge of his motives or who he truly was under that hood it was better to keep it a secret "what happened to my attackers?" Amber asked
"They'll think twice about ganging up on innocent travelers, they managed to escape but I doubt they'll be in any condition to do anything for a while" He said looking over to the cave mouth
"The weather should be letting up soon, I'll see to it that you get to the nearest town but first" He reached behind his back " I believe this belongs to you" he said pulling out the Fall maidens staff, handing it to her she accepted her weapon looking it over. The shaft didn't seem to have been damaged nor the dust crystals on either end.
Satisfied it was still in good shape, setting it down beside her she looked at the one across the fire who sat sharpening one of his daggers " I didn't get your name?"
He looked up at her pulling down his hood and the fabric hiding his face reviling a young man only a year or to older than she was with short wavy jet-black hair and a short well-trimmed beard he was rather handsome in a rugged kind of way. "Mikael, Mikael Salmon" he introduced
"Amber, Amber Autumn" the Fall maiden replied with a smile
/
Mikael sat against the wall of the cave he rarely had time like this to relax or look over his gear without some crazed bandit, dragon or Kahjiit high on moon sugar coming for his head honestly, it's not like they didn't know who he was.
The girl, Amber as she called herself, sat quietly staring into the fire a thoughtful look on her face as the flames danced in her eyes.
He thought back to the conversation they had earlier. Aura, that word alone had piqued his curiosity perhaps another form of Magicka maybe it was what allowed her to use her powers. There was so much about this world that still remained unknown. His only source of information would be from Amber.
He didn't want to pressure her, the trust they had between one another was uneasy already proven by the quick glances she had been giving him for the past five minutes, it seemed she was trying to see how much of a threat he would be in her weakened state.
"Is there something on your mind?" Mikael asked, causing her to jump slightly in response "Sorry, you seemed a bit anxious" he said
Amber took a deep breath Calming herself before she spoke" Well..." the Fall maiden looked at him deep in thought before continuing "Why did you save me? I don't mean to sound ungrateful; I just don't understand why someone would go out of their way to save a complete stranger."
Mikael shrugged " You were in trouble, outnumbered and about to be the victim of some kind of damned Ritual, that was more than enough reason to intervene"
"And afterward?" Amber asked the opinion of her savior getting better
"What kind of man would I be if I left a young woman alone, wounded and open to the elements?" he asked causing her to smile slightly" I may live a bit of a questionable lifestyle, but I would never leave someone to die on the roadside"
"It was rather noble of you. " Amber said, "I've never seen armor like yours" she continued motioning to his nightingale armor" it's almost like a shadow was woven into a garment" She stated a curious look on her face
"A friend gave it to me, saved my ass more than once I can tell you that. "Mikael chuckled glancing at the mouth of the cave where the rain had calmed down a bit "why were you out here alone?"
The maiden shifted a bit in her spot" I was traveling between kingdoms, I was on my way to vale before...well you know" she said not needing to finish her sentence " so where are you from? with how you fight you must be a huntsman."
He remained silent for a moment what he was about to say was secret a well-kept one, but necessity demanded it " I am a nightingale, not a huntsman and to answer your first question I'm not from around here"
Amber blinked " what's a nightingale? and what do you mean by 'not from around here' do you mean this continent? "
he chuckled slightly "more like plain of existence" Amber eyes widened" what I am about to tell you may sound far-fetched, insane even, but I swear it is the truth. I hale from Tamriel a land rather different to this one but with some similarity I arrived here a few hours ago after a rather annoying Daedra decided to medal with the tides of fate honestly why can't Mora ever just leave things be.
Shaking her head amber sat there trying to think of a possible response" That... how do you expect me to believe this it sounds like-"
"Lunacy, that's the response I expected, but it is what happened. I can't blame you for not taking my word for it, you have no idea who I am or my intentions giving you no reason to trust me, overall, I have no way to prove it." Mikael said
His explanation did sound rather far-fetched crazy even, but his voice throughout the hold thing was calm, steady not a trace of any lies or deceit. A part of her wanted to believe him
"Maybe there is" The Dragonborn look up at her "My semblance, a power I possess it allows me to read someone's memory's like an open book it's what allowed me to trust people in the past " she said
He was silent for a moment before responding "Not that I don't think it would work but I've seen things that aren't meant for the faint of heart." An image of a certain Black dragon flashed in his mind.
Amber was about to ask but stopped by the look on his face it seemed haunted "Mikael" he looked up at her concern present in her eyes" I don't know if I can trust you yet, I don't know whether you're telling the truth or not. So would you tell me about your home, what you've seen and what you fought so that I can try to understand" The sincerity in her voice was real he could sense no malicious intent from her perhaps... perhaps it was time to share this burden.
/
Professor Ozpin sat behind his desk currently in the middle of a video call with his longtime friends James Ironwood and fellow headmaster and head of the atlas military, regarding the information sent to them by Qrow Brawnwen
"have there been any updates" James asked from the feed on Ozpin's terminal
Beacons headmaster shook his head taking a drink from his mug "Qrow is currently tracking their location. As far as he knows Amber is Alive and in good hands."
The General looked less than skeptical "The Fall Maiden has been kidnapped by an unknown individual, Ozpin! we can't be taking this lightly!"
"Not kidnapped James rescued " Ozpin reminded the General " Have I not reminded you that if he had not intervened she may not have survived her attackers. He treated her wounds before taking her we can't assume the worst."
"Ozpin one of the maidens have been attacked, something we thought could never happen after everything our organization has done over the years how can we not assume the worst?" James asked rubbing his brow in frustration
Despite how serious the situation was Ozpin kept calm as he took another sip of his coffee " have faith James we may not know this man's intentions, but I'm sure he means us nor Amber any harm."
Ironwood looked at his longtime friend and sighed "Just have Qrow send me regular reports on the fall maidens condition"
"He isn't wrong" Glynda his fellow teacher and subordinate said as she approached his desk scroll in hand " we know nothing of the person who took Amber or what his intentions are with her, he may have saved her life, but we don't know if he will cause her more harm than her attackers."
Ozpin stood up "Perhaps, but as of now the game has changed and it would seem a powerful player has just revealed himself we'll have to wait and see which side he belongs to"
/
Anger that was one of the words that could describe Cinder fall's feelings at the minute, actually scratch that hate, perhaps even murderous intent, yes that was a better way to describe it.
Her carefully laid out plan to ambush the Fall Maiden, weeks of planning and training her subordinates, had been thoroughly destroyed by the cloaked man who appeared out of nowhere stealing the Fall maiden's powers from her grasp.
In the span of a few minutes her plan had fallen apart, her subordinates were beaten into submission and close to death and even she herself had to wait until her aura healed her wounds.
Currently, she sat in her personal room at the hideout she had established outside of vale contemplating her recent failure. Mercury had barely survived after he was disemboweled followed by the nerve damage caused by the electrocution it was a miracle he was even capable of moving after their opponent's handy work and was currently in a medically induced coma, so his body could focus on healing.
Emerald's jaw was fractured in three places along with a hairline fracture running under her eye up the right side of her skull, although the doctor watching over her assured Cinder she would make a full recovery saying, 'it was only a matter of time'.
But time was a luxury they couldn't afford. Without the Fall Maidens powers and the addition of the White Fang forces her plans for the kingdom of vale were quickly unraveling. she knew her mistress would be very displeased to hear of such news.
Cinder looked down to her right hand wrapped in a bloody bandage she clenched and unclenched her hand the tendon's still healing making her movements more forced and sluggish it would be more difficult to fight due to the arrow the cloaked figure had used to wound her, the same implement lay on the desk before her a reminder of the carelessness that cost her the prize she desired.
The cloaked figure flashed through her mind who was he? The power she felt from this one man it dwarfed that of the Fall Maiden, how? She didn't know, although they seemed to be linked to those words he yelled. All these questions and many others had plagued her mind ever since they returned to the hideout and she was no closer to answering them.
Cinder looked up only now noticing the shadows in the room had gotten darker and began to slither towards her. At the same time, a familiar present built up in the back of her mind, as anxiety began to take hold the darkness surrounded her.
She was no longer in her quarters, instead finding herself on a rock looking over a vast wasteland of black stone's and crystals, the sky above a dark crimson with a shattered moon casting an ominous glow on those present below
Cinder's breathing hitched as she saw her. Cinder took a knee wincing slightly due to her injured torso bowing her head "Mistress" she said in respect and equally in fear of the one before her
At the edge of the cliff overlooking the landscape of darkness, stood a woman in a long billowing black robe with maroon designs styled into it. Snow white hair was tied back into three tendril-like tails on either side of her head and skin as pale as the moon residing above. she stood there motionless, but the sheer weight of her power could be felt.
"Cinder... I do not sense the Fall Maidens powers within you" her voice was calm but sharp as a dagger's edge.
"No... Mistress" Cinder struggled as she felt the woman's very power attempting to crush her soul "W-We were defeated by an unknown He interrupted the ritual and saved the Maiden wounding myself and my cohorts...we were forced to retreat " Cinder looked up and felt her heart stop and her blood freeze as the woman now stood over her
Her eyes were black as the night with two Crimson irises Black veins stretched out across the sides of face leading down her neck and disappearing into her robe Cinder dared not look her in the eye the look she was being given was neutral on the outside, but the raven-haired girl knew better.
The disappointment was clear in her eyes the very eyes that burned through to her core the one thing she knew was that you never disappoint the Mother of Grimm.
the woman looked down at her hand covered in the bloody bandages "Is he the one who did this?" she questioned
Cinder nodded "We weren't expecting his intervention. When we fought him, he used some kind of power it was unlike anything I've ever seen... we couldn't even touch him. He cut us down within minutes and showed little mercy to me or mine."
The mother of Grimm held the younger woman's chin lifting her face up "what else can you tell me about this man? who would dare interfere with our affairs" her eye's glowed brightly, making Cinder shiver.
"Before we retreated I saw something an emblem on his armor" She said while using her fingers to draw what she had seen from there battle recalling ever detail she could.
Salem watched her eyes narrowed at the symbol before her it appeared to be a raven its wing curled towards the full moon above this emblem was a mystery to her, she held no knowledge of any human faction barring it "What of this... power you spoke of."
"It was similar to Aura but the sheer power it held was unlike anything I've seen...he merely spoke" Cinder said
"His words held power?" The Grimm Witch inquired; her interest piqued.
"y-Yes" Cinder answered Salem was silent for a moment, her mind mulling over the information Cinder had presented to her, before finally coming to a conclusion.
"Cinder...at the moment the Fall maiden's powers are out of our reach and thus we must alter our plans to account for new possible avenues. " Salem said with a tone of finality.
"M-Mistress please! "Cinder stammered "Give me time I can secure the Fall Maidens powers I just need-"
"No!" Salem's voice silenced the girl before her "Until we have better understanding of this man and this power you spoke of, you will no longer pursue the Fall Maiden, is that understood" Salem said.
"Yes mistress" Cinder said nodding slowly not wanting to incur her masters wrath.
Salem nodded" Good, you may take your leave. Recover, I will speak to you again once I have investigated this further and what our next move shall be" Cinder rose turning towards the Dark gateway that opened behind her "Cinder" she stopped turning back to her master" If you encounter this man again observe but do not engage am I clear"
The other woman nodded her head bowed before she vanished, leaving Salem alone in her realm gazing up at the shattered moon" A complete unknown... how interesting"
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So, the Dragonborn and the Fall Maiden have begun to get to know each other now the big players of remnant have taken notice what will the future hold for our hero until next time adventurers Krif Voth Ahkrin Lok, Thu'um