The Majestic Forest

[Io]

"Did I get turned around some place?? Where is this??", Io whispered to herself. She was on her was to Aesir when she got turned around. She cautiously stepped through the thick woods with her knives in hand. The sounds in the forest made her jumpy. Every time the wind blew through the tightly spaced trees or an animal cued or sang Io heightened her guard level. She was usually a calm and collected girl but she was wigged out.

Io had twisted her ankle after tripping over a high tree root. She had a slight limp but other than that she was holding up. To make things work she could hardly see. It was so damn dark! She kept going hoping to find a safe place for a break. There didn't seem to be much hope for this little thief. How very depressing.

Out of the corner of her eye Io stooped an extra thick patch of light. She hopped up holding on to a tree branch and lifted herself up. From there went from tree to tree to the light, only tripping one. Io hopped down but had to roll. The clearing before her wasn't as majestic as she had hoped. Just a few knocked down trees piled atop one another. But she would take it. She climbed on top the stack and took a seat. Only when she stopped did she realize her throbbing ankle pain. She placed her knives back in their holsters and reached for her water container. She untwisted the top to take a drink. "shiza.", Io said dully due to the absence of water. She laid on her back and sighed while basking in the amber sunlight collecting her thoughts.

(for parny-son to reply to first, then whoever)

[Aleph il'Aranroth]

Aleph was headed through the forest again, leading his horse as before. This time, though, Beht seemed rather uneasy. "What's gotten into you, boy?" Aleph asked quietly as he patted the horse gently. The poor creature really didn't like the forest today, and nothing Aleph did would calm him down. Suddenly, a twig snapped not far away, and the horse bolted. "Aw crap," Aleph muttered. Usually that horse was much smarter and calmer. There was nothing to be done but run after it.

After ten minutes of running, Aleph was starting to tire. He wasn't in bad shape by any means, but his armor weighed down on him and slowed him. And it sapped his energy. He had to slow down and walk. Luckily, Beht was leaving very clear tracks. Until he came to a clearing. The ground was harder there, and there was nothing to indicate if Beht had changed directions or kept going forwards. Aleph looked around, hoping to figure out where his horse had gone, and spotted a young lady sitting atop some fallen trees.

"Oy!" he called. "Have you seen a horse run by here?"

[Io]

"Oy!", a voice called. "Have you seen a horse run by here?" Io was edge enough as it was. She slowly sat up and looked around only feet away stood a man clad in armor. She sat up and brushed the bark and dirt off her back. She walked forward and stepped off the trees ignoring the pain in her ankle as she landed. "A horse? No, I think I would have noticed a horse," Io said as she walked up to the man.

She stopped just before she reached him, "Unless...no!", she said placing her hand on her chin then waving what said away. Io grinned and her green eyes flashed. "But, sir knight," she said coyly, "I might be able to think straightly and remember said horse if, I had a drink if water?".

[Aleph il'Aranroth]

Aleph rolled his eyes. "You know, it really doesn't bother me if you need some water, just ask," he said as he pulled out a hip flask. He held it out towards the woman and added, "But I would like a straight answer on the horse thing." Why did people think they needed to coerce others into doing what they wanted? Things would be much simpler if people would just be polite and ask nicely for something instead of trying to manipulate someone else. Take this circumstance, for instance. Aleph would have ahppily given the lady a couple flasks of water. He had plenty with him, and even more on Beht. But she had to go and try to trade for it. Oh well. That was just the way life went, and he couldn't do anything about it.

[Io]

Sadly, that was how life went. Being raised on the streets and buy thugs teaches you one thing. Nothing is free wether they payment be money or info. Io took the flask and took a drink. She drank for a couple seconds and held on to the flask. Io could tell she had bothered the man but she didn't apologize. Instead she smiled sadly in place of the words.

"Your horse is this way," Io said heading forward. She was of course lying through her teeth but luck was always on her side. She hopped up on the trees again and stumbled slightly. She winched from the pain by tried to play it off cool. She walked on humming a little tune. After about three mintues of disguised wandering she saw them! She was forunate. "Here you are knight! You're horse guidence!", she said proudly.

[Aleph il'Aranroth]

There he was indeed. Beht was standing in the middle of a group of maples, looking much less spooked. He was chewing on some bush that was nearby. "Thank you," Aleph said stiffly. He strode forwards and took Beht's reins and started heading back to where he'd been before. Hopefully he would be able to find the path again. Suddenly, he stopped. Holding out his hand towards the woman, he said flatly, "My flask. If you don't mind." He would have let her keep it if she had asked politely for a drink. But since she hadn't, he was demanding it back.

[Io]

She was glad to help and the man seemed happy to be back with his horse back. He walked back over to Io and held his hand out. He then asked for his flask back. Like she was going to steal that of all things. Besides, she thought this man rather interesting, she wasn't going to drive him away or have him attack her. "Sure thing, Cheif," she said with a wide grin.

Then she placed the container in his hand still holding on. "I know how the saying goes, but there is honor among thieves." Io's emerald eyes looked deep into the man's. "If I was going to steal I wouldn't have the item in plain sight". And she released the flask. She look him over, he looked tired. She didn't say anything for a moment. Then she spoke, "You should rest, you look worn". And with her head she motioned to the clearing.

[Aleph il'Aranroth]

Aleph raised an eyebrow. Of course there was honor among thieves. They were usually rather honored to steal your stuff. He didn't know why she wanted him to go rest in the clearing. It was somewhat suspicious, though. Especially after she'd just admitted to being a thief. Only one way to find out what she was after, though.

"Alright," Aleph replied as he replaced the near-empty flask. He led Beht into the clearing and tied him to on of the fallen trees. Anyone who knew him would know that that act showed his lack of trust for the woman. He rarely ever tied Beht up. It was usually sufficient to just command him to stay. But with this woman around, he wasn't taking any chances.

[Io]

Io smirked and let out a small chuckle. He must have been tieing the horse up so it wouldn't run away again. She walked over to the tree she had been on eairler and sat down. She looked over at the man and then laid down. She stared into the sky and let the sunrays warm her. "Io," she said, "my name is Io".

She sat back up and swung her legs over the log allowing them to dangle. Io placed her hands on eaither side of her thighs and looked at the man awaiting his reaction.

[Aleph il'Aranroth]

"And I am Aleph," he replied. He still wasn't sure if this young woman wanted something of him or not, but he certainly wasn't ready to trust her yet. He took off his plate mail and chain mail armor as though he really were going to take a nap. Since it was impossible to sleep in that, he always took it off first. He made sure to leave his swords easily in reach should he need to defend himself or his stuff from Io. Clad only in a dark green tunic and green cotton pants, he then lay down on the ground near his armor and his horse. He closed his eyes, leaving them open just enough to see what was going on areound him, and let his breathing even out and slow down until it appeared like he was asleep. If this girl was going to try anything, he was going to catch her.

[Io]

Aleph seemed nice enough but why didn't he trust her? She had helped him with his horse and returned his flask. Some people. But being the humorous kind she decided to mess with him a bit. Io plopped on her back once again and waited. The sounds of the forest creeped back into her ears. They frightened her. She hugged herself and tried to block the eerie noises from her mind. And still she waited.

When it had been about twenty minutes she sat up. Using her skills she tip toed over to Aleph with making no sound at all. She knelt down next to him without making the leaves crinkle beneath her knees. She stared at the 'sleeping' man for a moment. Up close he reminded her of someone she once knew. It was the shape of the face and the hair. He looked like Marcus, the leader of the Black lizard clan. A much younger version but still.

Io held out her hand and was inches away from his face. Suddenly, she blinked and realized what she was doing. Craziness! How could she have thought of him as Marcus. Marcus trusted and loved her. She didn't even know this man. She brought her hand back and had the oddest feeling. She missed her family, her Black lizard family.

Io stood up and started to walk away when her ankle gave out. She landed hard on the ground and got the wind knocked out of her. Some sneaky thief she was. But since she was already there the ground would be a fine place to recuperated.

[Aleph il'Aranroth]

Aleph hadn't heard Io slip over next to him, so he was a bit surprised when she suddenly appeared right next to him. He stayed calm, though, and gave no sign that she'd startled him besides drawing breath a bit quicker than he had been. When she disappeared from his vision, he opened his eyes completely. He didn't see her stealing any of his stuff, in fact, everything was where he'd left it. Could he have been wrong about her? It was possible. He'd been wrong in the past, after all.

Suddenly, he heard a quiet thump and the sound of breath whooshing out of a person. Sure that he'd just heard the start of a fight, he drew a sword and stood in one fluid motion. All he saw, though, was Io sitting on the ground. Her limp hadn't escaped him earlier, but he'd passed it off as a trick. Apparantly she really was injured. He sheathed his sword and put his armor back on. no need to pretend anymore. Once he was fully clothed again, he walked over to where Io was seated on the forest floor. "Are you alright?" he asked, genuinely concerned. Thief or not, he couldn't see anyone injured and just let them be unless he was positive they deserved it. And he was far less than positive that she deserved to be hurt.

[Io]

As Io looked to the sky from her back she could only think about the pain in her ankle. She looked past her bare and sadly dirt cover stomach to the source of the pain. Her ankle was swollen and discolored. She knew it wasn't broken but she knew she wouldn't be able to walk on it. Then from where she knew Aleph to be Io her the unmistakable sound of a sword being unsheathed. Io grew scared for a moment then she relaxed.

Io listened and he fumbled around with something and headed her way. He looked down on her and she could tell that he was sincere. After all the best lie detectors are those who lie themselves. Aleph asked if she was alright. She automatically open her mouth to say something like a sarcastic smart ass. "Eeeh --", was all she managed to get out before she stopped herself.

Io looked at him and she looked sad and afraid at once. But only for a second. She smirked and said, "I am alright," Io sat up with a groaning sound, "see no problem". Io reached for a thick root from the base of the fallen trees. She started to pulled herself up. She didn't want to appear fragile Io had had a tough life she could handle this. She was about half way up went her ankle gave again and slid with the dirt and her grip slipped from the root at the same time. As she plummeted toward the ground one more a single thought crossed her mind. "shiza".

[Aleph il'Aranroth]

Aleph raised an eyebrow when Io claimed to be alright, and smirked when she fell again. "Yep. You look perfectly fine to me," he said somewhat mockingly. Looking her over, he saw her swollen, discolored ankle. Kneeling next to it, he looked up at her face. "Tell me if it hurts when I do this," he said, just barely squeezing her ankle. It looked pretty bad, and he was sure she wouldn't be able to walk on it. He figured that he'd have to let her ride on Beht until they got to a town. It was either that, or leave her here to rot, and he didn't think she deserved that anymore than he thought she deserved to be hurt.

[Sir Théodbold]

Our Father....who art in Heaven....

In the deeper and darker parts of the aptly named Dark Forest; there was a small monastary that was nestled in a grove of rotting pines, birch, and aspen trees. The Monastary itself was crumbling into ruin; bricks that had succumbed to Mother Nature's advances had begun to fall into disrepair, the oaken doors that once connected the Monastary to the outside world were long rotted and only their rusty hinges of iron remained. Within the Monastary's main chamber, all of the pews had long been warpped by the rains and splintered by Time itself. However there was one part of the Monastary that remained unaffected; as if some power held it from being touched by Nature's caress. Yet that power was an easy one to spot; since the source of that power resided within the monastary, and hadn't moved for 10 days straight.

....hallowed by thy name....

The shell of what had once been the Brother Confessor of this very monastary was enthroned in an iron chair behind the alter that presided over the entire room. Sir Théodbold had had been a Paladin many years ago, but now he was something else. Death could not take him; sword could not split his soul asounder from his heart for he had already fallen so far into the path of Darkness. His once glistening armor had become tainted just as the man beneath had, and everything that the man touched turned more to darkness. Between his gauntlet-encased hands was a two-handed sword that was covered in cobwebs and rust; no, his entire person was covered in cobwebs and dust for staying in one spot for so long. Yet muscle did not waste away and age took no hold over him; Brother Confessor Théodbold was a cursed man.

Thy kingdom come.....thy will be done...on Earth as it is in Heaven....

Even as he consciously defiled the land around him with his presence, the powers of a Paladin that had been twisted and tortured by temptations, those nearly lifeless eyes of his stared off into the unknown of depth of the Forest. And through that power once given by God, but now perverted into something else, he felt that something that hadn't been in his domain for many a moon had come once more. Even worse; it had turned out to be someone. His gauntleted hands tightened and released a cloud of dust, snapping a multitude of cobwebs, and as he stood to his feet his armor groaned in complaint of the new stress. His purple and green cloak that was drapped over his armor let forth a shower of dust when he stood to his full height of 6 feet and 5 inches, and immediately in an almost robotic fashion; the Death Knight made his way from the chair behind the alter to the threshold of the door.

Give us this day our daily bread....

With his two-handed sword clutched in both hands, the former Sir Théodbold muttered a string of words under his breath, words that were wrought of pure heresy, and his sight increased tenfold to reveal to him what it was that had disturbed his damned thoughts. And there they were; a man and a woman, and they were all alone in the Forest with no one to aid them. How unexpectedly fortunate; it had been sometime that the Death Knight had the need to fight, or even move for that matter, and now that he was active once more this would be the perfect opportunity for him to prepare his body for slaughter once more. Robotically walking toward the clearing that he had seen from afar with his enhanced vision, the former Sir Théodbold halted about 200 paces in front of the couple and with a voiced laced in death challenged those in front of him.

Forgive us our trespasses....as we forgive those that trespass against us....and lead us not into temptation....

"Why have you entered the Forest Sir and Lady? Surely those on the outside of it's confines warned you of what possible dangers lay within?", said the Death Knight in a raspy voice, "No matter; you've come in front of a danger and none can defeat a Death Knight in combat of Arms." Deciding to close the distance, Théodbold moved faster than many could imagine and slashed what tied the horse in place, and landed a might kick with his iron boot that sent the horse running for it's life. Turning to look through the slits of helm, the accursed knight said with sword held out in front of him, "Now you cannot get out; you must die."

And deliver us from Evil.....