Private Tales Sword and Spear

[Nikaia]

Nikaia had been disgraced so much in so little time. She had been a captain, in command of a large portion of her home's armies, then she was demoted to a humble Dekyrion, then a lowly soldier, now she was on the northern frontier, clearing out nests of Chimera or bandit dens. And her progression back up the ranks was to be very slow, but she didn't complain, she couldn't, her punishments were justified if they were given to her. And she did as her superiors ordered her to do, as was her purpose. But she quickly realized that she wasn't going to get anything, not even the one thing that she wanted most, and the one thing that no other was refused to her knowledge if they desired it. So she decided to be more active, and volunteer for the more deadly tasks, those that earned respect from people, rather than wait to be assigned a task as she usually did. And this time, she was sent to find out more about the unexplained destruction of several villages in the northern frontier of her country, each was the same story, completely empty, but no actual damage done to the buildings or gates, as though they had simply left.

It was upon entry of one of these villages that she saw her, the masked woman who would be her partner for this particular mission. Of course, she knew nothing of this, and she was told to question anyone she found. So she approached and called out, "Hey, I have a few questions for you."

 

[Soliel]

The mask of bleached bone would swivel to look at Nikaia. While there were indentations where the eyes would be, there was no expression or other discernable features upon the mask to distinguish expression.

The member of the Order of the White Lotus had been sent here on a specific tracking mission. A large sum of gold had been paid for a contract to hunt down what seemed to be a necromancer in the area. Soliel was the huntress assigned to the mission.

After a few silent moments, the mask would swivel forward and she simply began walking off away from the girl who approached her. There were matters to attend to and from her understanding, no one else had been hired to tackle this particular predicament. However, unknown to Soliel, another had indeed paid to investigate the circumstances.

Should the girl follow her or not, it was not in Soliel's interest. A hunter's only focus was the quarry until they were caught. Any discussion focused solely on gathering information on the prey.

 

[Nikaia]

"By order of the Senate stop." Nikaia says, with clear authority and a firmness that was only found in those who were comfortable with command. "You are either suspect or witness to what has happened here, your cooperation is required if I am to find the necromancer responsible. If you do not stop I have the authority to bring you in by force."

She strode after the white masked woman, her long legs carrying her swiftly despite her unhurried but brisk pace. She was not playing around either, ready to use her spear up close should the woman attack, ready to throw it should she run.

 

[Soliel]

A single swivel of the bleached mask turned towards the woman. A simple and slightly accented voice simply said, "No, you do not." indicating that she did not have authority over a hunter of The Order of the White Lotus. While small, the Order held specific renown as mage hunters. Certainly, in smaller villages they were seen as suspect, especially with the masks that were never removed. However, in a city such as this, and with the amount of gold that had been paid to search the quarry, Soliel had little worry regarding the Senate. In her possession was a singular scroll providing her freedom of moment and actions to catch her quarry.

Without further ado, the huntress turned her head and continued ambling forward. From her hand, she gave a small rub of her fingers, a curl of black smoke rising. It had a heady scent of spice, almost like myrrh or frankincense. The wind picked up the rising swirl and cast it off. From behind the mask, the huntress's mask stoically followed the drift. What would appear as smoke would only be highlighted as a path for the Soliel.

Dark magic had been used nearby indeed.

 

[Nikaia]

"If so then what proof do you have that you surpass the authority of the Senate? If you have none I will have to bring you in under the charge of using false authority." She says, suspicious. She readied her spear, if she had to she'd put this woman down. And she'd do it without hesitation or mercy. But she was intrigued by the incense thing that the woman did, magic of some sort. Possibly even that of the necromancer.

"Who are you and what is your purpose here?" She says, her temper growing dangerously hot. She was angry, and getting angrier, those who defied the Senate were enemies, and enemies needed to die.

 

[Soliel]

If the increased agitation or threat from the stranger bothered the masked woman, she did not show it. Indeed, that mask kept hidden away any sort of telling expression.

As if to quell the query and be on her way, the Order of the White Lotus huntress merely took her right hand and plucked from her waist the scroll. With a snap of her wrist, she unfurled it, revealing the seal of the Senate and that of Minister Vord Ryn, who oversaw this particular section of land for the vassels. Within its contents, if the girl was able to read, would clearly indicate that a contract had been drafted for the detainment of what was deemed to be a rogue necromancer.

No other word was spoken, merely enough seconds for Nikaia to review and verify the contents. Upon completion, the huntress had every intention of putting the scroll away and going on about her business.

 

[Nikaia]

Nikaia was surprised, not that what the woman was saying was true, but that she had been sent here for the very same purpose she was, to hunt this rogue necromancer. "I was not informed that they had brought in a mercenary to be a part of this job." Her tone was definitely calmer now. "It seems that you and I were sent to accomplish the same goal. Stratiotis Nikaia at your service, my commanding officer sent me here to locate the necromancer, so if you would tell me what you know, I could be of great help to you."

She wasn't lying, that much was clear, and she wasn't tryng to be tricky or sneaky about anything. She had her orders and she needed to follow them, regardless of what happened.

 

[Soliel]

The Huntress maintained her stoic demeanor, carefully rolling up the authorization scroll. The blank mask with the slanted eye slits seemed to start at Nikaia for a few tense filled seconds. After a few moments, Soliel replied, "The Order works alone."

It wasn't intended to offend nor to disregard what the woman's task would be. The Order of the White Lotus simply worked in pairs amongst themselves. Soliel would of had her bonded partner.. had the event not occurred. But that was not the other woman's concern.

Right now, Soliel was on a mission to ensure she could complete this task. "Conduct your investigation. Do not impede mine." Soliel replied in a solemn tone.

 

[Nikaia]

Right now, Soliel was on a mission to ensure she could complete this task. "Conduct your investigation. Do not impede mine." Soliel replied in a solemn tone.

"We hunt the same quarry, and while your order may work alone, you don't have to. And not only would having a partner be beneficial, it would also allow for the idea of strength in numbers, as well as an extra pair of eyes and hands should they prove necessary." The woman was persistant.

 

[Soliel]

Nikaia

A reasonable request, but one that would likely impede on Solial's quest. A quiet half-spin of the heel of her boot and the huntress carried on with her purposeful walk, following the stream of smoke light tendrils floating in the air that only through her mask one could see. It was a tracking spell, one that required the essence of the object or related to the target. Combined with the right herbs, it would drift and change hue in the presence of particular magic, almost as if clinging to any lingering residue.

"You may do as you like," Soliel stated simply, her red cloak brushing against her dusty boots as she continued towards a small dirt road at the edge of the village. Her left hand was clasped behind her back, while the other held onto the scabbard of her sword along her waist. Ready. Waiting.

"Do not impede my search." the quiet words were a warning. If the woman decided to follow, it was up to her, however, Soilel had a specific course to take. From what had been relayed, smaller villages had been left as ghost towns. Not a single item overturned, merely as if the very individuals had vanished.

 

[Nikaia]

Clearly she wasn't going to cooperate, very well, she'd have to look for clues herself, and find the necromancer herself. But unlucky for both of them, the necromancer, or rather, necromancers, found them first, through the eyes of their undead armies. Skeletons, skeletons still bound in muscles and tendons, looking more like bloodless, flayed men than skeletons, emerged from the surrounding forests. Each carried a spear and a shield, identical to that of the soldiers of the local city state. In a great horde they came out, ready to slaughter the two meddlers, then return to their masters.

Nikaia was better suited to line combat than single combat against an army, but she was perfectly fine with fighting undead hordes, after all, she was not permitted to retreat.

 

[Soliel]

Nikaia

There was stirring along the forest line. The crackling of twigs. The crunch of dirt under bones held together by dark tendrils of magic. The huntress gave a swivel of her head, the dark strands of her shoulder-length hair dancing in the wind as that bleach bone mask stoically stared out into the distance.

One after another, the crackling, staggering bodies of skeletons would appear from within the darkness of the trees. From behind the mask, Soliel's lips drew thin.

With quiet precision, the huntress withdrew her long, thing sword from its scabbard.

 

[Nikaia]

(The village is already empty, basically abandoned. There is noone to evacuate.)