Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Yes, that is her name. She is my familiar." the elf maiden told Nina, the spider itself lifting a front leg in a kind of greeting. Once there had been introductions and the rope was bundled up again, they left for the camp.

When the pair of green got around Lynette in the campsite, she went down a notch in the wariness degrees, not seeing any problem with letting the elf girl in. "Alright, I'll take a laydown again..." the head maid said as she assumed her previous spot on the grass. "Oh, scatterbrained of me. I am called Aandra." the druid girl introduced herself once it was mentioned that she had forgotten to tell. "Not much to tell about me, doing some co-operative work with the local rangers for a while. My teacher says I'm to go by myself for a while, but I still decided to help someone while I did it this part of the training. Was chasing these poachers, and fell down to the pit. Miranda climbed up to see if anyone was available, but it took a few hours. The one other person I saw didn't have the courtesy to help, even as I yelled at them. Some strange girl in a flashy dress. Seems like I was not interesting enough for her, since she asked if I had seen group of people during the day." she told Nina, taking a look at her. "I think it might be you. Are there others with you?"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina nodded. "Yep, she was probably referring to us. Flashy dress huh? You wouldn't have noticed if she had this sorta crazed, doll-like look to her face?"

In the pit of her stomach, Nina knew that their stalker had already caught up to them. She stood up and looked around, her hand on the pommel of her sword. "If she was there earlier in the day, she's bound to have circled back by now... Oh, sorry to alarm you Aandra. I can be a bit scatter-brained too. I'm traveling with the Lady Einzbern and some of my closest companions as well. We've had a woman stalking us for reasons unknown, and she's murdered those in her way to get to us, so we're all a bit on edge. If that was the same woman, then consider yourself lucky to have fallen down a pit. I highly suggest you be on your guard tonight, but with people like Lynette here to watch over us, I think we'll be okay."

Nina ended her alarming speech with some words of comfort, hopefully soothing any anxiety she'd raised by telling Aandra about this.

"I'm just gonna do a quick walk around the wagons, howabout joining me, hmm? You can bring Miranda too. So tell me, what rangers were you working with? I've met a few before the last time I was out this way. And I've had my troubles with poachers too."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"I couldn't tell too many details, since there was a decree of distance between us. But the whole get-up she wore really did make her resemble a fine doll." Even though Nina got more alerted than normal after hearing about Ethelinda's possible presence, it didn't seem to bother Aandra any. "Naw, it's okay. I'm no stranger to hostile situations." she shrugged off any concerns, confirming that if any hostilities did happen, she would be able to handle herself. When the request to accompany the maid-knight came up, she didn't refuse.

"Well, quite many. I've been here for a good while, just temporarily separated from my teacher. Never was good with names..." the elf girl spoke up as they walked around the wagons. A rustle from some distance away alarmed them, but it turned out to be just a regular rabbit. When she moved her gaze away from the bunny, Nina could see a brief glimpse of Ethelinda moving through the dark woods and fast out of sight, a good distance away from the camp. Still, it looked like she had no weapon with her, stalking the group empty-handed for some reason. And apparently, Aandra too saw her. "Yeah, that was the girl. I'd recognise that dress even if I was blind."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"D-damn it!" Nina said in a huff, and went straight back to Lynnette.

"She's here, Lynnette. Ethelinda. Out in the woods watching the caravan. I'm gonna go call her out. Just though you should know."

Having said this, Nina drew her sword, gripped her shield, and stomped off towards the woods with a look of annoyance and anger written on her face.

"Ethelinda! Get your butt out here, you murderous cow! You've got a lot of blood on your hands and I want this done with!" Nina yelled out into the woods, trying to spot the doll-like woman. "I've seen worse than you, ya know! Your little 'not-dying' trick isn't so impressive!"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"She is? I'm keeping this area down." Lynette replied as she got back into assassin-mode once again from her half-sleep state, almost jumping to her feet and following what was happening. She would remain there to protect the others. Aandra remained with Nina as she went to shout things into the forest.

Some distance into the forest and a plethora of yelling later, Nina received her answer. "No, it is not. I've experienced it so many times already." Ethelinda called back, sitting casually on a sturdy branch some distance away and beyond natural reach. It didn't seem that she was trying to hide anymore.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"So, there you are. Anything to say for yourself, Ethelinda?" Nina asked, her sword at the ready, watching the doll-like woman intently. She had now idea what this immortal woman wanted with her or her friends, but she had some inkling of what this amoral stalker was willing to do to get to them. Innocent people had died horribly because of this girl, and in the nice, flowery world that Nina preferred to view herself apart of, there just wasn't room for a sociopath killer.

"It's not too late to just leave and go back to wherever it is you came from. But I swear, if you keep messing with us, you're gonna regret it."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"No, I cannot think about anything particular to say right now." the girl replied, looking down onto the two other girls from her branch seat. Tugging out a pinecone from the tree, she chucked it at the two, managing to bounce the harmless thing from Nina's head to the ground. "I believe that is true, since there are quite a few of you in there. It's not likely that I'd win against all of you people, especially those two hard types." she continued, taking a brief look towards the camp where Lynette remained. "Still, it's no reason to give up on you. I'll just have to wait for a better opportunity." the strange doll girl finished, remaining silent after that and simply looking at the two down below.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina batted the pinecone away before it touched her head, not in the mood to be Ethelinda's plaything.

"I demand that you tell me why you're following us! We have done nothing to earn your scorn. You've obviously recovered quite well from your neck wound as well. Why not leave it at that? What could you possibly want from us?"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Like once before, Nina's anger seemed to amuse this princess among stalkers. She gave a somewhat aristocratic-sounding laugh, one that a rich girl would do. "And why would I need to tell you anything? My reasons are mine only. Go back to your camp now, I won't be gunning for you tonight." Ethelinda replied, kicking another pinecone away but not hitting it anywhere near them. Most likely, she was not trying it anyways.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Oh yeah? Maybe I'm gunning for you," Nina said. "Howabout I go round everyone up and we chase you down like the sick animal you are? Perhaps then we could find ways of loosening your tongue."

The maid knight was in little mood to take haughty insults from a psychopath. She stepped towards the tree that the stalker stood on. "Or maybe you're just afraid I'll do a better job of cutting that pretty neck of yours this time?"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"All of you, hmmm? You might succeed that way, but are you sure you'll ever get far enough to gather your little friends?" Ethelinda called back Nina's words, the previous amused look vanishing from her face and getting replaced with a more grim and serious one. It was then that a new thing about this stalker revealed itself to the maid-knight. Just as the words finished, a vertical psychic eye that was bigger than her two normal ones opened on the doll girl's forehead, starting to shed bright purple fire. This same fire appeared around one of her hands as well, which made small gestures as the eyefire intensified. The same light began to show up from spots around Nina and her druid companion, forming a circle of light dots. With a small raising gesture, Ethelinda's apparent psychic power raised a good dozen hidden swords from the undergrowth, which the two groundbound girls had missed somehow when they got there. The blades began to orbit around the whole scene in a slow circle, the purple fire keeping them suspended and under Ethelinda's control. "They didn't tell you that I took the militia's blade supply with me? Well, if you intent to keep this up, I'll be glad to try out your defense with these swords."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina scowled at the swords.

"What a cowardly way to attack. Hmph! Fine then. Have it your way for now. But even if you cut me down, you'd only be further guaranteeing your own horrible end."

Nina turned to Aandra and nodded for her to go back to the camp.

"Before we're done, I'll make you regret killing those men at the armory. And everyone else you've harmed." Nina said with finality before turning and heading back to the camp. She kept her ears alert for the possible hiss of steel flying through the air, and if she did hear it she would whirl around with her shield and bat the offending weapons away, using her increased speed if necessary to dodge the opportunistic strike.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Pshaw. Effective is what this is." Ethelinda thought out aloud, not really paying attention to Nina's words nor their departure. But as she was about to walk away, a final parting shot was brought upon the maid-knight. But fortunately for her, it turned out to be yet another pinecone. Their business seemed to be concluded for now, as the stalker girl had stood up from her branch perch and was now walking away from the direction of the camp, the floating swords making a path for her to walk upon high in the treeline.

At the camp, Lynette calmed down a bit as she saw the two come back. "Here you are. Did you get her or what?"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"No, didn't get her. She's got a third eye and was controlling an armory's worth of swords with her mind. I didn't want to risk Aandra's life here in a confrontation she's not a part of," Nina answered with melancholy heavy in her voice.

She plopped down beside the fire and Lynette both and poked it with a stick.

"She's more than just a crazy immortal stalker. She's one with some freaky powers. It may be best if we stick close together until we're back at the estate. For whatever reason, she didn't fight me when she could have, and I don't get the feeling she was afraid of losing to me. She must be after one of us in particular. I worry that it's our newest companion, the one we woke up."

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Lynette remained quiet as she took a seat near the fire as well, listening to what Nina had to say with relative carefulness. "Good call. While getting her off from our tail might be a good idea, it was a better thing to avoid a possible fatal encounter with this weirdo. But you think it is because of this Isane person? I'd personally bet that she is some sort of odd assassin type that's been hired to get at our Lady, she actually has a few enemies out there. But I wouldn't rule out the possibility of her being after the sorceress either. Were you thinking about getting rid of her in some way or what?"

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Well, I was thinking of hitting her over the head with a blunt object, then tying her up, then sticking something annoying in that third eye of hers, then putting her under heavy interrogation until she spills her story, then locking her up in some sorta box and burying her in a tomb. But maybe that's a bit too much?" Nina grumbled, not at all in her normal, chipper mood. Having a serial killer trying to assassinate either Iliana or Isane was highly unacceptable to her. Especially if the former woman was the true target.

"I don't know. I just want everyone to be safe. Who would want our Mistress dead?"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Hmm, possibly not. She does sound like someone who would be better off not walking free." Lynette replied as the two continued the watch. For her part, Aandra was content to just hear the two of them do their thing. "Even if it seems a bit unlikely, the Lady does have a few enemies. The leaders of the desert tribes used to oppose her for the control of the trading routes, but since the current king there, we've been in friendly terms. That man is far wiser and peaceful than his predecessors, but there might be political trickery going on since the more extreme traditionalists don't support him. They don't like the Lady having control over those trade routes cos she is, you know, a woman. That just doesn't suit them and their patriarchal views of the world. The other possibility I can imagine is one of the lesser landholders under the Lady's rule, who look over other areas in our not too big domain. Some of them might be trying to get her position for their own gains."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Could any of those suspects afford to recruit this kind of assassin? Why would they seek to hurt her now, all of a sudden?" Nina sighed, discouraged a little by these new, unseen threats. The world around her 'family' seemed to be looming in around them all of a sudden. It appeared her training as a protector would be put to use sooner rather than later.

"But more disconcerting is this Ethelinda's methods. She practically waltzed into our room and announced her presence to us. Now she's playing some sort of mind game. Seems a bit unnecessary if all she's doing is someone else's bidding. More of a distraction or hindrance than a lethal mission. I mean... if you were hired to kill someone, Lynnette, would you announce yourself like she has?"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Depends on the assassin really. Some people are cheaper to recruit than others. Maybe this recent venture away from the estate and me and Isaku being away put some grease into their gears and they decided to advance a plan. They consider the time is right, possibly." Lynette replied, sharing her own thoughts about the situation. While it was a serious thing, she seemed to be taking it in stride. "Sure as hell wasn't my style to announce myself back then, it's too risky a proposition to do. But there are types like her, who have a thing for the theatrical style and mind games. A rare breed indeed, but the most succesful ones usually end up as living legends in the underworld circles."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina rolled her eyes at the talk of living legends in underworld circles. She couldn't imagine wanting that sort of street credentials attached to her good name. To want to be known as a sick butcher, it skeeved the little green-haired girl right down her spine and up again.

"Now that we're all together we stand a good chance against her at the very least," Nina said. "All I know is that I'll be happy to be on the move again."

She shifted her vision to the druid. "I'm sorry you had to get mixed up in all this Aandra. I won't blame you for leaving our company at the earliest opportunity. I wouldn't want anyone associated with us in some small way to become a target of this horrible woman. But know that while you're with us, we'll do our best to see that no harm comes to you or your spider friend."

Nina put on a brave smile for Aandra's sake, then threw another stick on the fire, determined to be wide awake throughout the rest of her watch, and to let whoever replaced her at the post know exactly what had happened and who was lurking out there in the woods tonight.