Valborast Valchek

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Invading strike sank deep and rumble in grizzly throat shot back, the sound wide arcing as head did turn and bray at forest full of camouflages with ears that knew hiding and stalking. Fish full, arrow lodged, the bear rose to full height to gain vantage to see the striker as it made it's complaint and promise of jaws to that which sent the driving shaft. Arrow pierced near vital, time the bears to wrath with before the final closing of wild eyes. It looked out, blood matting fur that would be torn apart for what lay beneath, and breathed in deep pulls in of it's bear snout to know the clearing's hidden better.

Eyes did not serve it.

The air did carry hint.

But not the one who had harmed it.

The beast so pierced knew not of reason or direction of an arrow's flight, and having scent of something to blame did place paws to thundering in it's direction, retaliation for the pain that seethed it so needed by it's brawn of survival. Each tread did encourage the arrow to snarl further blood, further growls as if the ammunition was driven in by hammer of what it had caught wind of.

The forest was a humble sort, full of herbs unusual and ferns that spanned wide and provided shade to things that crawled and ducked within. The proud tall trees none did threaten with the axe, pale things that were ivy gripped and rose high with canopy thin of evergreens. The nocturnal had their turn at feeding and hunting this hour, the bear had been rudely interrupted from it's returning to the slumber it needed, long standing over pond that gave the fattest moonfish when the moons were in part waning and had given up it's indulgent vigil. A final treat of that kind to add to it's feasting denied. The air, cool and inviting to those that hunted and hunted those who hunted them, did give sign of a man who was not to blame for it's pain. But accused and pursued all the same.

Those that did venture here did not carry axes to fell the trees, the mass tangle of shrubs and herbs that grew were wanted for a variety of needs. And by the low of tangled mass of natural arrangement, wide fingered ferns did scarcely conceal one who had come here for the darker roots and rich poisons of the earth given leaf form. A spider that that had crawled upon his hand loomed brown and wide and bulbous against his lithe fingers, gripping sickle that gave no reflection despite it's copper mask. Careful did one have to tend this crop he was cultivating for his need, slowness and stillness as not to stop one's heart with a brush too long with the poisons growing. And the roar, so sudden and alarming had almost driven him to quick reaction, to start and flinch, yet his nerves knew to hold fast or face the need for antidote, weathering the sound and staying within his business. Stillness was maintained, and he but hoped he was not the cause of complaint.

Quick dashed that hope. The sound of approaching beast, all paws and muzzle long of growling.

Fie to it, the man did think, his hope of hiding and pruning poison from the soil denied so utterly. His hand adorned by a quick moving spider that did not frighten, gripped with copper sickle half moon itself of shearing, his stillness and lowness was not enough hide himself herb gathering. He shook away the spider with quick shake of hand, sickle discarded as if to blame somehow as well, and rose from the low brush.

The Crimson Knight, a column of his colour, saw the brown beast blame him, direct, and charging, all shoulderblades shifting, eyes wincing from the hunting implement so working against it, paws pressing against the soil to make their meeting final.

And set himself away, no yelp of pain, but snarling curses as his boots knew escape from one so grounded. His litheness and gift with the shadows did elevate himself in springing step, and soon, the ivy did aid him as he scaled the rising bark so pale to his redness. Up, up climbing with hands that adorned themselves in weaving claws to scale himself up, small rends of a man who played at being beast to avoid one.

The bear was rapid in it's arrival. Below the tree that the Crimson Knight, Valborast, was the beast who did bleed, and roar, and place paw for climbing. It had climbed all it's life, and knew better than Valborast the means of climbing. But the arrow, the arrow did deny the strength to scale the tree that did protect it's assumed attacker.

And panting, did the bear lean against the tree, pain dulling to coldness, the muzzle panting for it's exertion, blood trickling, Valborast standing at mid distance of the tree on overhanging branch, looking down, without pity. Eyes to arrow, knowing the truth of it.

And looking out to the darkness of the forest, a snake of ivy beneath his feet that did embrace it, was Valborast, hoping that the hunter of this bear would make good of it. The sickle he left did gleam within the poison leaf, the bear leaning as it knew the arrow better, the Knight standing with blame to the archer in his heart, his face full of frustrations, clenching and eyes brewing discontents. Not for the kill of the beast encroaching, but for causing second hand the startle that would have tarnished his health by brush of toxic shrubberies.

He bade his time as the bear spent it's last. Valborast's shadow long and thin as he loomed in the overhead of it's dying moments, his boots on bark and ivy, in the half light of the moon that had given the bear no taste of the fish of it's namesake on the bear's final night.

@Tourmali
 
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Moments before..

Slender hands combed through a thick mane as Tourmali lay atop Ananis back above. Eyes shone in the moonlight as she watched the forest below. All appeared quiet aside from the pending hunt for dinner. Long had they searched for something suitable to feed them both, and now they saw it. Alone, as was its nature, it knew not that death would be coming this night. Exhaling the drow slowly let out a wordless prayer as she knocked the heavy bow with a broad-headed arrow. As one, she and Ananis breathed before she released, sending the arrow almost home through the bear's body. Ananis's wings flapped as they dropped down to finish the job.

Now...

Even as they came closer to the earth, Tourmali noted that another figure was within the brush. From the bits of crimson, she could not tell whether they had considered better attire for nightly walks. Crimson was a poor choice against predators within this region, and even now, the being stood out like a sore thumb. "Tonight appears to be full of surprises." Keeping her voice low, she leaned back in the saddle. Ananis drew back its wings, sending slight gusts towards the tree.

Now she saw the knight clearly, and she was curious as to why he was even here. Nothing about him said he was a local to these parts of Ilica. Releasing her feet from the saddle, she launched herself off to land gently upon the same branch as Valborast. Black garments wrapped her figure from head to toe. This left only her eyes to be exposed, her hair tightly wrapped

Bright green eyes looked the knight over with ease, twinkling with amusement. It appeared he was either herb gathering, flora in this region remained on the poisonous side. Judging from the dirt on his hands, he hadn't gotten far.

Below, Ananis landed firmly on the bear, paws pressed down as he made sure their prey was dead. Flicking its tail, the beast snorted before biting into the creature below the arrows. With her hands on her hips and bow reset across her back, Tourmali could only shake her head in disappointment.

"You must be new to this area, Knight. Only a fool would wear such obvious colors in the night." keeping a cold tone, she continued to check him over before nodding her head in self-satisfaction. He appeared to suffer nothing besides being scared for his life. Crouching down, she slipped off the branch and down to the floor, where she began cutting out and cleaning her arrows. Ignoring the messy floor, Tourmali whispered to Ananis as she had finished cleaning her arrows off. Cutting off several large slabs of meat, they were set to the side on the bark. Ananis picked up the rest of the corpse in its maw.

"We'll be off now.. Some meat for your trouble.. Be sure to use all parts of the shrub. If not, you'll fail at making what you desire." Her voice cooed lightly while she calmly cleaned her knives and moved off to gather some firewood. After all, there was no need for her to rush home yet; it wasn't like anyone was waiting for her. Hunger pains gripped her stomach; within minutes, she was back with an assortment of fuel. Pulling out some stones from her bag, she lit the fire and set her bow to the side. Cutting out a good chunk of meat to cook, she sat holding it over the open flames.

"Come on Knight.. Don't be so stiff. Whether he joined her or not didn't matter; she was just doing her best to play host to a stranger she had startled. Ananis munched away happily at her back, his wings folded, paws to either side of her frame.
 
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"Ode to the owners of nights, these shades of red mine," Valborast intoned from elevation of tree limb. His sickle gleamed out in curling away and returned to nestle within his swashes of crimson. He remained stiff upon the tree branch, still, column of his colour. Eyes fixed as if wronged by the words of this one.

A step forward beyond the limb. Languid descent that did defy the way of natural falling, robes of red poised unfettered. As if the ground did hesitate to tax him fully to falling.

Valborast slow in his approach to fire, for want of showing some respect of space and time to them both. More to beast than her. His eyes looked over at the wings, recalled quill marks in manuals concerning flying things of fangs. Their raising, their inclinations. Their appetites and howling to be sated. The sound that book made when the literature grew an appetite it's own from bindings hostile to his living eyes. The struggle to seal it, as others watched from layered dark, bemused.

He made no move to look at the beast's eyes, gleaning that rule from his reading. He looked from wing to paw, to flicker at meat ripped, then to the fire as he took his place.

"Succour in these woods I did not expect," Valborast said flatly. Hunched down by the fire, hands relaxed between his knees. A touch more of vibrancy in his voice now as he went on, "But welcome none the less. Thank you for this, I will say."

He looked to the fire, allowed meat to cook. Would eat with full force of canine when food might be passed from knife cooking to fingertip to pluck and teeth to bite. Passed further word between once his thoughts pooled into something cogent on the remarks she made.

"You comment on the foolishness of my hue of attire. But not the act of cutting such a herb. Curious," Valborast said sardonic. "I'm almost flattered you think me competent enough not to warn. Heart arresting nature that thing, as you clearly would know. Mind you," Valborast said, leaving something unsaid as he implied inbetween words with a giving nod of the head side to side. "No judgement in your encouragement. No judgement if you would think to rob another fool that would err thoroughly in the plucking of it."

It was not an accusation, nor did blame tinge his tone. His stomach was strong to dark humours of hunter and poison knower.

A wry smile as he made the next comment, enjoying how it might be construed.

"It might amuse you this detail, so I'll grant you the knowing. In thanks for this succour so granted."

He shifted on his feet a slight. To regard this host proper. Eyes on her own, unlike her beast he wasn't afraid to affix a gaze thusly.

"Once my sickle removes the cardiac arresting inducing shrub, I'll literally be feeding it to my sword. They need it for something most akin to palpations."

He looked for a reaction, a pique of interest. An expression on the Crimson Knight to assure he wasn't exaggerating. Valborast thought himself awfully droll for admitting his purpose, knowing it was an unusual thing to say, even between poison knowers, thin smile pulling upon his gauntness.

@Tourmali
 
Brows rose slowly as Tourmali observed Valborast approach, address her, and the meal. He was an honorable-looking man by his dress code, edgy to some, no doubt, but proud nonetheless. Slender fingers stroked through Ananis's mane, pressing against the shaggy scalp to itch behind his ears. As if on command, the creature let out a massive yawn, flashing its canines before fixing the knight with a sleepy gaze. Her other hand held a blade which she deftly used to cut and eat her meat in smooth movements.

"Pray, few knew of these herbs, dear knight, much less this location. Fools become meals to the underbrush; what would be taken is rightfully turned to the ground." Tourmali cracked a smile as Valborast appreciated the meal and played his own jest in her direction. Now this was a beautiful thing; moments like these were too few and far between. Leaning back further into Ananis's side, he purred happily as his flanks rose and fell, gently swaying Tourmali.

As their eyes met, his truth was met with a glint of joy and curiosity. Keen eyes fell to where his blade may be, then back again. "Truly? You are an interesting one. Knights fighting herbs and salves are rare. So daggers become swords.." Mulling it over in her brain, the wheels turned as she rubbed her head lightly. How long had he been at his craft? Maybe, perhaps, there were more like her?

"Where did you learn what you know? You must have had a very good teacher.." Tourmali had to give credit where credit was due. As she had mentioned before, not many people used poison, and even fewer still were in the business of making them. Before her was a rare opportunity to gather some more information. In the distance, a gentle bell tolled in the growing darkness. Her face became placid, rising to her feet in one swift motion.

"Is the purse your god, or are there stronger forces that guide your path? You may call me Tourmali.. Take these as a little gift for shared interests." Pulling out another small package, inside was a gift for Valborast to expand his own collection and resources. If the sword could eat these deadly herbs and use them, then what better meeting gift than this? Stretching again, the gentle bell tolled again.
 
At the first words, Valborast settled his shoulders into the brooding angles of conspirators. Shifting left and right, mulling over the correctness of what was being spoken. Seeing eyes dart to scabbard lined with silver to bind and seal what thrummed with his doppler ego. That did serve egos both.

Mention of daggers turning to swords. That did etch firmer the thin smile, no sign upon the eyes, but the lips did draw further.

Alas, to tatters with it. He did break his smile with a flash of teeth, a final grimace of humour, a rueful flash of teeth as if somehow disappointed. As if the compliment were a tawdry thing. A mawkish comment. A trick of words that did cheapen how he viewed what was being bartered.

"Stronger forces that did pave it, lines my heels with grip to tread it. Me, myself and them to walk it, aside, behind and through it all," Valborast said, still now, yet still in a conspiracy to enjoy the company. Not quite capitulating to discarding the words for the mention of good teachers.

Eyes to the gift, sealed and mysterious. A faintness of something in the air. A slow inhale through nostrils, as if preparing to draw in smoke. His brushed the pommel of the blade he sought to remedy with the cardiac arresting poisons so plucked.

Through the chamber of silver to the knock at the door with knuckles did he hear himself through bone and bind. A thought, a ripple, brief as the brush of knuckle against that ending grip. Private murmurs.

"Not slaked yet," did resonate Riven. In triplicate, as one, to the other known as the singular but greater division of his fraction.

Valborast did lean back, regarding the the gift favourable, even without knowing what it was. Poisons between poisoners. That did his mood better.

"Manners then, before accepting. I am a Syr of the Order of Anathaeum, one Valborast Valchek."

A drawing wide of his arm to make the redness his banner as he did reach to take what was offered. His own name given as if it were more esteemed to own than his title.

Riven, the blade within the scabbard, made a sound within it's trappings. Of nestled steel against the silver, a chime to match a chime of bell.

"We're curious as to what you be gifting," Valborast said, thin smile etching again.

@Tourmali
 
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