Private Tales Just a Soul Whose Intentions are Good

[James Lanvarok]

James saw the woman running from his perch between the hills. Hand resting against a tree, he stared, mouth agape and wondered who or what she was running from. The Aberresai Savannah was hot and dry, and sweat gathered on the back of his neck and berween his armpits. From his perch beneath the tree, James heard shouts and as he squinted, the figures of several men came into view. They looked like bandits, or thieves, who had kidnapped the woman. Either way, she needed help. Slugging his crossbow off his back, he loaded an arrow and ran his hand over the end, igniting the flammable substance which coated its' head.

Readying the crossbow, he aimed at the cart that was parked on the road. He released the lock and the arrow went flying, landing right in the cart, which exploded with the flammable substance on the arrow. Fire and debris sprayed the hillside, the remnants of the bandit's wares in ruin.

"Fuck yeah, nice shot!" James exclaimed.

The men shouted, exchanging all manner of profanities and expletives as they looked around for who had blown up their cart. As he smiled, congratulating himself on his shot, James withdrew the anger from the men, and his own temper began to rise. The woman ran forward, and almost collided with him as she ran past the tree. He put his crossbow back on his back and gripped his shoulders, trying his best to calm her down.

"Are you okay? I saw you running from those guys," he stammered. "They didn't hurt you did they?" He was eager to help, but only so the woman was nice to him back.

"Maybe she might give me a kiss on the cheek!" James thought to himself.

Cheeks tinted red, he gently set the woman down and looked back over the hill. The men had scrambled, and were making their way around the hill, to the tree where James was kneeling with the woman.

"Shit, they're after us, we better get out of here." Looking around frantically, he grabbed the woman's hand and gestured for her to follow him.

 

[Ashara Raja]

The caramel skinned Kaliti girl had been running for a good few hours through the savannah from the bandits that pursued her. Yes, she had been working with them the day before, but after a particularly good heist in which they had taken a significant pouch of coin from some pompous rich man and his small caravan, Ash’s sticky fingers just couldn’t be satisfied by a share of the treasure. So, she had waited, volunteered to take watch just before dawn, and in the quiet part of the early morning before the sun rose, she had made off with the gold, now safely placed in a bag slung across her shoulder. Of course her former compatriots had not been amused with such an antic, and so they were giving chase.

Now, Ashara practically ran into a stranger, a young man on the portly side that seemed alone. He tried to calm her while she worked to catch her breath. It wasn’t fear or worry that gripped the girl, but excitement. Running worked up a good sweat, fighting was fun, but most importantly, she had made all those men into fools. A pretty face, a nice smile, a few jokes and they had been happy to have her along not caring what her motives for wanting to work with a group of highwaymen could be. It had never occurred to them that Ashara planned on stealing their loot once there was enough to be worth stealing.

She flashed a smile, hugging the stranger tightly, “Oh thank you! You saved me!” She exclaimed with a warm expression. “I’m fine, no I’m not hurt. Bandits are chasing me, they think I’m wealthy or something, but I’m just a poor traveler. Surely once they realise I don’t have anything of worth they’d leave us alone?” A hero-type never believed in the goodness of evil men and thieves. Ashara nodded however, following him as he took her hand.

Was she lucky? Did she just slam into a would be rescuer or her next victim? Already gold eyes were sizing up the man, searching his belt and outfit for a coin purse, but admittedly that was generally the second or third thing she noticed about everyone. She smirked, that was the great thing about being her, she didn’t have to take anything from him, but if it felt like something she wanted to do, she would. Plus just running around was fun.

She adjusted her pack on her back, which included the purse of gold she had pilfered. “Um, I didn’t get your name? I’m Saheera of Ragash.”

James Lanvarok

 

[James Lanvarok]

Before James could speak, the woman, much to his most sincere astonishment, wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. He froze, eyes wide and dropped his crossbow on the grass. A girl had never hugged him before, not like that at least. Heat rushed to his cheeks and he stammered, his entire body tensing up. As the girl released her hold of him and stood back, James stifled a bout of rare laughter and brushed a lock of dark, wavy hair behind his ear.

"Oh uh, no problem," he blushed.

"I wouldn't never want a pretty lady like you to get hurt or anything." Looking at his feet, he clasped his hand behind his back and mumbled, sheepishly prodding the dirt with his foot.

He looked all over for any cuts or bruises, but the woman assured him that she was fine. Backing away, he stammered, nodding fervently as she spoke. She explained that bandits had tried to rob her because they thought she was wealthy, which he wholeheartedly believed. As the woman explained how she had been taken advantage of, anger boiled in James' chest at the thought. He curled his hands into fists and walked past her, remaining within the shade of the tree as she looked at the remains of the bandits' cart.

The woman had said that she wasn't carrying anything valuable, but they were still chasing her.

"I just blew up their cart, so they're pissed off," James stated. Withdrawing his hand from the tree, he waddled over to where the woman was standing and looked at her. He was too busy staring at her figure to notice her eyeing his coin purse.

"Bastards, too cowardly to take on a strong target so they go after a hapless woman," he spat.

His features softened and he looked up at the woman, trying his best to look like he knew what he was doing. Gently, he gripped her arm and gestured to the road ahead, urging her to follow. "Don't worry, I won't let them get you."

He picked up his crossbow and strapped it to his back, then nodded towards the plain, "come in, we should get out of here before they find us."

The woman gave him her name, and he smiled. She was excited and bubbly, and her positive emotions rubbed off on James, lifting his mood and making him susceptible to her honeyed words.

"James Lanvarok, but you can call me Jim or Jimmy if you like, I don't care," he shrugged.

 

[Ashara Raja]

Ashara followed the young man carefully, making sure to keep her footing and keep her eyes and ears open. It was possible he was the bait in a trap, though given his attitude and surprise it seemed unlikely to Ash. Instead it seemed more likely that he was a good Samaritan for whatever reason, not unlike herself. True enough, if she had seen a young girl fleeing from bandits, she would have acted as well. The kaliti readjusted the pack on her back once more, careful not to jostle it too much.

“James sounds lovely, so I wouldn’t want to shorten it.” The girl said, letting the name roll off her tongue, exaggerating her accent when she pronounced it, gold eyes studying the stranger for a reaction. She was safer now that when she had been alone, afterall there was safety in numbers, but also this man was a mage of some skill. At least enough to destroy a cart from a significant distance.

“I’m not useless, I was just too far outnumbered to try fight them. I can help if it comes to a confrontation.” Her hand patted the sword hanging from her hip, tied to the blue satin waist wrap around herself. Her tunic and boots covered her form from the intensity of the sun, protecting her darker toned skin from burning. She didn’t have a hat, but did still have the matching blue satin headwrap that kept her hair tied back.

“Maybe we should try to thin out their numbers?” Ash hoped that if they lost a few of their number and their cart, which carried the more mundane goods they had pilfered while working the highway roads, the rest would recognize the threat and leave to go find easier prey. The real risk would be Vagnar Honeytongue, the leader. He wasn’t one to just let someone get the best of him while he was still alive, even if they did get him to leave, he’d hunt her until he found the Kaliti.

Legs burning from having been running for so long, Ash gave her newest companion a nod accompanied with a reassuring smile and a gentle squeeze of his hand. “I’ll let you make the plan. Afterall, you are my hero.”

James Lanvarok

 

[James Lanvarok]

When Saheera complimented his name, James lowered his head and blushed. Stifling a chuckled, he kicked the dirt with his feet and smiled awkwardly. Breathing in, he collected himself. She liked his name, that didn't necessarily mean she liked him. Calmness radiated off her, so James was inclined to believe that she had meant it sincerely.

Although, he did like it when girls called him Jimmy.

"Not that that's ever happened," he reminded himself.

Saheera then stated that she wasn't useless, simply outnumbered, and James demeanor instantly hardened. The ends of his mouth turned down and he squinted, disgust rising in his chest.

"If you're not useless, why'd you get attacked in the first place?" He barked.

James saw the sword by her waist and narrowed his eyes, debating whether or not she actually knew how to use it.

She suggested that they try and thin out the numbers of the group, and James simply stared at her. He waited, bottom lip hanging open, for her to ask him to come up with a plan. When his suspicions were correct, he rolled his eyes and huffed, then slugged his crossbow onto his back. Arching his neck back, he rolled his eyes far back into his head and looked at the sky, wracking his brain for a strategy.

He could take out one with his crossbow as a distraction, then let the others scramble, or use his empathy to turn them against each other, but the latter was unpredictable and could turn them against James and Saheera instead. Running a hand through his matted hair, he bit his lip in contemplation, before nodding. He had thought of a better idea.

"Okay, so I'll use my empathy to withdraw their anger and subdue them," a finger raised, he spoke sternly as he explained his idea.

"While they're weakened, you take them out," he said with a raise of his eyebrow. "But..." His voice trailed off.

There was a pause. Shifting his eyes, James arched his neck up and looked at where the bandits where, his finger still in the air. He had never killed a person before, and had come close to doing so when he was a dreadlord apprentice. He hadn't been able to go through with it, so he had escaped the academy. He wasn't about to take somebody's life today, either, regardless of who they were. Recoiling, he shrunk into his cloak and looked down, brow creased in anxiety.

"I don't want to kill them, just injure them," he muttered. Even though maiming them was potentially worse, he still couldn't fathom the idea of taking another person's life.

"If we weaken some of them, the others will think we're a threat and retreat," he nodded.

 

[Ashara Raja]

Ashara raised an eyebrow at the young man, a hint of annoyance entering her thoughts. “They are bandits. They attack travellers. I am a traveller.” She kept her voice level and calm, but regarded him sternly when she spoke. At the end of the day, the pair of tracks would throw the bandits off some, though it wouldn’t be hard for them to determine which were the svelte woman’s and which were too heavy to be her bootprints. Still, they might split up if she did. James did seem to have a bit of an attitude that Ashara wasn’t exactly fond of, much preferring the fun types or the strong silent types with big broad shoulders.

“Well,” Since he was an empath, he would probably feel all the fear and pain killing bandits would cause, a revelation that did cause Ashara to feel some sympathy for the young man. Her magic happened to either complement or detract from his innate ability. Gold eyes peered at him, searching his frame for a change in demeanor, though she did soften towards him and his outburst some. <Not necessarily his fault. Vagnar is probably livid and he’s an empath.> She reached out a hand and rubbed his shoulder softly, to calm him with a light physical reassurance. Boys generally loved soft contact. “You’re sweet, I like sweet. We can try not to kill them, but we will have a better chance of suggest if we tire them out first.”

<And kill Vagnar. A Lot.> “It’ll be okay, James. Like you said, weaken them and they will retreat. And then when it’s over, we can get drunk at the next inn together.” She flashed him another smile. Behind them, she could hear shouting from the bandits, following their tracks at a slow jog. If they were going to try to keep out of range for a while longer, they needed to hurry.

Ash glanced over her shoulder, drawing her sword. She needed to fish out her components for to boost her spells, and then she hoped James was really good with his crossbow and empath skills.

James Lanvarok

 

[James Lanvarok]

James frowned at Saheera's stern retort. Curling his hands into balls, he stared her down, a vein bulging from his temple.

"Do they only attack stupid travelers?" He slurred, eyes rolling far into the back of his head.

Come on Jimmy, you're not even trying.

The rage from Vagnar, the leader of the bandits, seeped into him, overwhelming his senses and confusing his thoughts. Groaning, James keeled over, grasping his hair as he tried to repress his anger. As he looked down, he felt a soft touch against his shoulder, and opened his eyes to see Saheera gently holding him.

His heart was sent aflutter. Heat rushed to his cheeks. Freezing, he lost himself in her gentle touch, his entire body tensing up. Saheera said that he was sweet, but he knew she was only saying that to calm him down, but at least she promised him that they wouldn't kill the bandits.

"You're only saying that to make me feel better!" He grumbled.

Clenching his fists, he jerked away from Saheera and growled, regretting that her addition to the plan was solid. Inhaling, he released a heavy sigh and started to channel his empathy. At least, he tried to. It was a natural ability that he was born with and he didn't have very good control over it. When Saheera assured him that it would be okay, that they would weaken the bandits and they would retreat, James slumped his shoulders and huffed.

"Okay, you want me to go in first?" He asked, walking past her. "But I warn you, this is going to make me really pissed off," looking up at Saheera, James spoke with a dire warning in his tone. Withdrawing the bandits anger would transfer it to him, and if he wasn't already angry enough, that would absolutely enrage him.

Saheera said that when it was over, they could go and get drunk in the next inn together, to which James lowered his head and laughed, comforted by the offer. It did sound nice, losing himself in ale with a beautiful girl, so he kept it in his mind as something to look forward to.

"Yeah, that sounds good," James hung his head and blushed.

The ends of his mouth turned up, and he smiled, an uncharacteristic, bashful smile that hinted at his unease. Walking past Saheera, he turned to face the road where the bandits were reassembling, and furrowed his brow, ready to cast.

 

[Ashara Raja]

Ashara perked an eyebrow, but held her tongue trying her best to give the empath the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully once Vagnar and his buddies were dealt with some exposure to her usual happy-go-lucky mood would liven James up considerably. That or he’d make her angry too.

“Possibly.” Ash retorted when he grumbled about her being agreeable for his benefit only. “You’ll just have to trust me like I’m trusting you.” Her gentle touch was meant to put the young man at ease, though it seemed to be doing the opposite. He was being bashful and shy. At least that was something Ash could work with.

<He isn’t already pissed off?> She thought quietly, but nodded in understanding. The dark skinned girl readied a spell of her own, drawing the broadsword from the scabbard on her hip and readjusting the pack on her back as the unlikely pair readied to fight off some of the bandits. She had ‘promised’ not to kill any of the bandits, but if she got the chance to kill Vagnar, Ash had no intentions of hesitating. That’s how she had survived so long on her own, by using people and telling them what they needed to hear when it suited her needs. A sad state of affairs, one she preferred not to use. She preferred having friends that would stand with her, but right now that wasn’t an option.

“Alright James. Just remember, I’m your new friend.” The kaliti withdrew a few small vials, placing them between her fingers on her left hand, most of them containing small traces of perfumes or herbs known for being mild aphrodisiacs intended to be the catalyst for her spellwork.

The group of highwaymen approached quickly, jogging along the road looking for signs. Seven in all, the bandits were lightly armored and most carried simple swords. Two had shortbows and the biggest one had a large two handed warhammer, grinning with malicious intent. “Oi!” He howled, directing the group towards the pair.

Ash readied her hand behind James, preparing to blast him with her spell once he was done with his empathy. He might appreciate her efforts once he realized.

James Lanvarok