New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

[Courage Wolf]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

Ahh, the sweet call of the past, everything that was and the lessons contained therein beneath the lilt of her father's music, the soft tune of the flute carrying through the air as if each note had small wings of it's own.

Lost in the momentary paradise, hours passed along the journey, before Chloe was snapped from her daydreaming by her horse stopping and skittering to the side nervously. They had entered the forest propper a long way behind. It wasn't a large place, but it was... as her father put it, Big Enough.

A man stood in the rode, seemingly younger, but wearing tattered rags, and barring the road with outspread arms. "Wait strangers, I've been lost for far too long, might I have a word, and something to drink at least." He said quietly, his voice indeed hoarse.

 

[SirOni]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

"What is it, girl?" Snapped out of her reverie, Chloe looked around, startled by the sudden stop and her horses behaviour. Though as her attention was drawn to the man she gently petted the neck of her horse to try to calm the beast down. "Shhh, calm down now, girl. It's only a travel-weary stranger. Sure, we can help you, right father?"

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

Whether Chloe's father would have helped the man or not, was irrelevant, because as Chloe turned to look, she saw something was sticking out of his side, just under his ribs as he gave a strangled shout of pain. The man on the ground, still standing stock still, spread his arms grandly.

"Well, thank you for stopping so generously, so much easier to hit a target that isn't moving..." He said quietly, even as Chloe's father moved to slide off his horse, out of the way of where the shot had come from to their right, using his horse as cover just as another arrow whistled passed Chloe, dangerously close, leaving a small trail of blood on her cheek.

Laughing loudly, the man reached into his rags, and drew a short sword, walking forward rather calmly. "Times are hard, surely we can just take everything you have, and leave you alive, though... the girl there, I'm sure we could think of something else to keep her occupied, Old man..."

 

[SirOni]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

"Shit! Father, are you okay?" Panicking, Chloe slid off the side of her horse. And as she did an arrow whistled past the woman, grazing the side of her cheek. Chloe cursed as she hid behind the beast, holding onto its reins in an attempt to stop it from escaping.

"You're out of luck. We don't have anything of value on us," Chloe called back to the advancing man. "And it'll be a cold day in hell before I let the likes of you touch me." Chloe mentally cursed herself for not bringing a weapon with her. Of all the times they could've been ambushed it had to be on a delivery. Though... that's it, she thought to herself. It may be have been made for the castle's executioner, but wasn't this pretty much the same job? With her mind made up Chloe made a dash for her father's horse, intending on taking the axe to take out these brigands.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

Rolls

Spoiler

Bandit 1 8 Vs 14 Papa bear, feel bad for the horse, I know I do.
Bandit 2 6 Vs 16 Chloe, yea... your living cover is getting the fuck outta there.
Chloe. Above 10 to retrieve stupid large weapon. 19, Success!
Charge! Bandit 3 13 Vs 16 Chloe. Swing and a miss!
Chloe 11 vs 4 Bandit 3. Hit, 2 FP damage. 2/4
Papa No!!! 3 vs 11 Bandit 3. Miss.

The shots from the cover of the trees continued to whistle through the leaves and branches towards them as they took cover behind their horses, but the wounded cries of the animals gave Chloe all to much clue as to where those arrows were going, and no matter how well trained these animals were, they weren't war horses bred to ignore pain.

Chloe was lucky, that at the very least she'd gotten her hands on the case containing their creation, sliding it away from the saddle as both horses bolted forward, charging away to avoid further strikes from the archers hiding in the forest. Dodging out of the way of the horses, the man in the road cursed loudly and ran forward, his blade low just as Chloe managed to open the latches on the hardwood case. Rolling backwards to avoid a wild slash from the man in rags, the girl was glad to see that her hands were wrapped around the axe, holding it tightly as her father seized the nearest weapon nearby, the case.

Howling wildly, the beast of a man that had raised her swung the entire heavy wooden case at her assailant as if it weighed no more then a twig, the man not even given time to mutter oaths this time as he was forced to turn and slide out of reach, but Chloe was already moving. Setting her heel into the dirt, she pivoted as she stepped forward, bringing her own considerable strength, and the weight of that terrible weapon into play, and this time no amount of agility saved the man from having his arm cleaved clean off his body even as the powerful impact of the heavy weapon collided with the leather padding and metal plates that made up his hidden chestplate, throwing the man several feet to the left even as he screamed in pain.

 

[SirOni]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

Chloe cursed as the two horses ran off, leaving her and her father without immediate cover from the hidden archers. Though fortunately she had managed to get her hands on the axe they had both created, and ripping it from its case Chloe charged at the man that had stopped them on their way to the castle and swung the axe down at him as her father picked up the case and swung that at the man.

As the edge bit into the man's arm, cleaving through leather, flesh, and bone alike the woman let out a quick celebratory cheer. Chloe brought the axe behind her as she watched the now mostly harmless man drop to the ground, and regarding him as no longer a threat she turned to her father. "Are you alright? You think you'll be able to run away from here? Those bastards are hiding in the trees so there's no point us sticking around, and the closer we get to the castle the less likely they'll pursue us." Should her father agree to the plan then Chloe will make a run for it with him towards the castle.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

Her father nodded just as the case he was holding turned out to be a far more appropriate shield then any kind of weapon, an arrow burying itself in the hard wood as the injured bandit rolled off the road, too in shock to scream at the seriousness of the injury he had been dealt, and leaving the path forward for Chloe and her father.

There was no telling how bad her father's injury was yet, not without a chance to really look at it, but he was having trouble breathing and keeping pace, the pair forced to slow after 20 yards or so, blood dripping from the blade of the axe Chloe carried. They cleared the trees about 10 minutes later, the bandits apparently not liking the taste of prey that could bite back, and probably to tend to their fallen comrade, though the likelihood of him surviving that blow was slim, and waiting for them at the forests edge was one of the kings guardsmen, holding the tethers to their horses.

"Trouble?" He asked, eyeing the axe and the pair of people, though his expression softened when he noticed the arrows in the case, and the one jutting from her father's back. "Bandits." He finished for them, urging them up onto their horses. "We'll get you to the guardhouse nearby and you can tell the captain there. And we'll get you looked up" He said nodding in her father's direction, perfectly willing to listen to their tale as they road and got farther from the threat posed by the forest currently.

 

[SirOni]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

"Goddamn those bandits, attacking us like that," Chloe muttered angrily as they neared the end of the forest. "We've got to find someone soon, there's no telling how bad you're inju- She wrapped one of her father's massive arms over her shoulder in an attempt to support the injured, though as Chloe heard a voice she readied her axe. Upon realising the man was a member of the castle guard however the woman relaxed slightly.

"Thank you," Is all Chloe could say as the adrenaline started to work out of her system, and aiding her father onto his horse she climbed atop her own, following the guard to the castle. "We were actually on our way to the castle. We were delivering this axe," Chloe held the axe out briefly. "But we were ambushed by them, and unfortunately I had to use it before we could deliver it. But before it's delivered now I'd like to make sure my father is going to be alright."

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

"The fact that you can carry, let alone wield that monster is surprising to say the least. There will be time for that later, come on, lets get him to the guardhouse and deal with it after." He said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at Chloe's father as he mounted up himself and urged his own horse on with a nudge.

Although it was safe to assume he would have liked to move faster through what was now rolling grassland, it wasn't the best Idea given the risk of jarring her father's injury and he seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness, slumping forward over the neck of his horse just as a large stone building, flying royal colors came into view.

3 stories, and probably covering a 1000 square feet on it's own, the entrance to the small courtyard was manned by guards who pulled back their pikes and admitted the trio without question. At a whistle from the guard, several men came running over, and, seeing Chloe's father, helped him down before practically carrying him off to a door to the east. "Let him go lass, I NEED to talk to you first, then you can see him, my word. And then we'll get you both back on your way to make your delivery." The guard said, grabbing Chloe's shoulder if she tried to follow after her father and glancing at another door to the west.

"Simple questions, nothing that will take long, I promise" He said with soft, sad eyes, before heading towards the door, and expecting Chloe to follow.

 

[SirOni]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

Chloe looked at the man oddly for a moment as he marvelled at her being able to use such an unwieldy weapon, after all it had been a piece made between her and her father, she viewed it as more of an extension of herself than a foreign object. Still, she said nothing about it.

Given a different time Chloe would've been impressed with the stature of the castle looming ahead, though at the moment it merely reminded the woman exactly why her father was in the state that he is in now. As the three of them trotted to a stop Chloe looked on with concern on his face as several guards came over to take her father away to be tended to.

"Fine. Fine, ask me whatever," As the man guided Chloe to wherever the woman's form would visibly sag as the stress of the recent events and the emotional turmoil she was currently going through caught up to her. The weight of the weapon she now shouldered didn't help matters either.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

To be honest, Chloe found herself unable to really concentrate on what was asked of her inside the small, but well lit office of the guard who had pulled her aside, making her answer questions about the bandits, when they'd been attacked, and who the leader had been. Needless to say they were happy to learn that the leader would probably die of bloodloss, but that didn't lessen the burden of Chloe's own problems, notably the condition of her father.

When if became apparent that her knowledge on the situation was fairly limited, and that the weapon she carried was on royal delivery, the guard captain sighed. "Alright, go on then, take her to her pa."

Saluting, a man at the door behind her glanced her way, and led her back towards the other door in the courtyard, where, to her intense relief, she'd see her father cussing up a storm and holding one of the royal surgeon's by the shoulder with a grip that would likely shatter bone, his shirt off and a blood soaked bandage wrapped around his chest. When he saw her however, he released the man, who stumbled as far across the room as he could, and lunged at Chloe, hugging his daughter fiercly. Looking her over for the moment, he smiled and ruffled her hair, before taking the axe and checking the blade, always the blacksmith.

 

[SirOni]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

Chloe couldn't help but fidget whilst being questioned, worried more about her father than the answers to the questions the guard was asking her. And it wasn't as if she could answer then with too much detail anyway. She had only interacted with the bandit group for a short while, and so couldn't give an accurate guess of how many people were there nor could she say for certain if the man she had dismembered was the leader of the group. Though she did her best anyway, giving as much information as she could despite her mind being elsewhere.

"Thanks," Chloe quickly muttered out before she was shown out of the room and led back to the courtyard where she had watched the guards carry her father off to have his injuries fixed. The young woman's face lit up and a wide smile spread across her face as she heard her fathers voice carry through the door to the surgery, the sight of the man only intensifying her great relief as the door opened up. Despite the bloodied bandages around his chest her father seemed to have shrugged off the wound that could've ended his life.

Chloe met her father's hug with her own, and whilst she wasn't as powerful as the monster of a man she still wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I'm so glad to see you're alright," Chloe half-whispered into her father's shoulder, her voice catching in her throat as she fought back tears which refused to stop. "I... I thought I had lost you."

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: New Horizons. (Chloe/SirOni)

Her father, content with the axe after only a momentary inspection, returned her hug and swung her around like a small child again, kissing her on the cheek before setting her back down and ruffling her hair. "Aye lass, no need though, Takes more then a twig, though this damnedable fool could have given a man a drink before pulling the damned barb out!" He muttered angrily.

"Entirely too much excitement for me girl, let's just make our delivery, and head home. I doubt overmuch those fools will try again on the road, and the sooner I'm away from him, the less likely I am to break him" He continued, jerking his thumb at the surgeon.

Chloe, family intact, weapon intact, and probably agreeing with her father, was now officially back on the job it seemed, now it was just a matter of delivering the axe to the king and going back home, and hopefully, it really would be that simple... It never was, but a girl could hope...