A Knight Needing Rescuing

[Walter Grace]

Walter Grace was the type of man to always be the one getting people out of trouble. Friends, acquaintances, even criminals on the verge of getting beaten down. So when the roles were reversed, and it was Walter whom needed saving, he did not know exactly how to handle the situation.

He had been wandering the woods, looking for some odd herbs that a few of the castle servants needed. It was the usual; no one was around the forest, so he was just picking up bits and pieces off the forest floor, hoping that he'd find the necessary herbs.

"Shoulda sent the kid..." he muttered, referring to his squire, Simon. But Walter also thought that Simon was incredibly incompetent. So he went alone. A big mistake.

While bending over to pick up some leaves, a large object hit him in the back of the head. The knight dropped, unconscious immediately. When he awoke, he was tied to a tree with a few men surrounding him. Clothed in thick fur and weapons hanging from their belts, three men sat by a fire. The sun was beginning to set, as the bandits cooked their meal.

Walter groaned out, shutting his eyes tightly. They had gotten the back of his head pretty good. When his eyes opened again, the men had gotten up, and they were looking at him.

"Well well well," one of them smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "Sir Walter Grace. Pleasure to meet you. Don't worry; we wont hurt you less you hurt us."
One of the men muttered under his breath, "He'll make us a pretty penny..."

Walter frowned, eyebrows furrowed. This was not something he couldn't handle. Quickly he concentrated on turning into his demon form. He began to glow; but slowly the glow faded. Walter went wide eyed.

"The ropes keeping you from using magic," the third bandit explained, looking much less interested than the others. With a yawn he added, "Lots of people want you dead, knight. We're just using this to our advantage.

The knight grew red with anger.

"I don't think you know who you're messing with here bud," he muttered, fists clenching behind the tree they were tied to. He tried to pull free, but could not. "You'll rue the day that you bastards fucked with me."
The men laughed; one seemed nervous, but the others were of course confident. The seemingly leader leaned forward, his face inches from Walters.

"I'd like to see you try."

[Luella Vaettir]

Elle hummed softly to herself as she walked, stepping over a fallen tree. She looked about at the shadows that the forest cast, thinking that she should probably go home. Her little cottage wasn’t near here, and it’d be a trek back. It was getting dark too, and Elle hadn’t prepared for any overnight hunting. Not that she couldn’t handle any overnight trips out here, but she wanted to meet up with Meryl tomorrow and spend some time with him. She needed to, after that fight she had with her brother. Ugh, her blood boiled just thinking about it.

This morning she had went over to his shop/house to see if he needed anything. He didn’t, and he was rather moody, all because Uncle Vladimir would be visiting. Elle really didn’t understand why Aerin hated the man so much. And she really did think Aerin hated him. It took a lot to get Aerin angry with you, much less to invoke such boiling rage like he seemed to have against their uncle, and the baffling part was Uncle Vlad had done nothing to Aerin as far as she knew. The only thing she was aware of was the incident that started it all when they were eight years old, and even then it was unclear. All Elle knew was that one night, when she was sick and in bed, the two had fought, and whatever it was they fought about ended with Aerin taking the fire poker and cracking the iron rod across Uncle Vlad’s face, splitting open the man’s cheek, leaving a scar. Fortunately the twin’s parents returned home at that time and managed to stop Aerin from causing any further damage.

Elle had wanted Aerin to at least try to forgive Uncle Vlad, try to act like an adult, or at least fucking explain why he hated their uncle so much. Aerin refused all of it, and the twins had an argument that ended with Elle storming out of the shop.

So she took to the woods to clear her head and make herself feel better. She had read in the creature guide that she borrowed from Aerin about Hydras living in the woods of Avaleur, and she had wanted to try her hand at hunting one. She got her bow and arrows and some sedative liquid, which she hoped would slow the creature down if she encountered it, and took off. Well five hours of nothing made her want to return home for the night.

Elle paused, seeing a fire glowing between some trees up ahead. Fellow hunters? She always liked to meet them! She smiled a bit and walked forward, then froze as she heard a voice claiming that someone didn’t know who they were fucking with. That voice sounded familiar. Who was it? She tilted her head and crept forward now, being silent as a cat, until she could peer into the camp through some bushes. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw what was there. Walter, the knight she had met when she picked up Aerin, tied to a tree, with men standing around him. He looked to be in a bad situation, and the bandits or whoever they were seemed pretty smug.

Elle looked around, wondering if she should try to help. She was a hunter, not a fighter. Beating up school boys who teased her crippled brother wasn’t quite like this. But she was a damn good shot, and quick too. He could probably take out all the men within seconds. She wouldn’t kill them, she didn’t kill people, but they were bandits, and if she didn’t incapacitate them somehow they’d retaliate. She dug into her pouch tied to her belt and produced the bottle with the sedative. This could work. She drew out some arrows, opening the bottle and tipping it, pouring a thick, clear liquid on the arrows, watching as one of the men leaned forward to gloat in Walter’s face. She capped the bottle and stored it away, before notching an arrow. The sedative was designed for big animals, so best case scenario the men she hit would fall asleep or be too stupidly high to do much. Worst case, they overdosed and died. She supposed she would hope for the former.

She drew back her arrow, taking aim. Who to hit? The man gloating in Walter’s face seemed like the leader, and in Elle’s experience, if you take out the leader, you disorient the group. He seemed like a good choice. She aimed carefully at his thigh, then let her arrow fly. She snatched up another, aiming to the next strongest looking fellow and shot. She’d keep shooting until they were down, or they ran off. Either way she had plenty of arrows for this.

[Walter Grace]

Walter's face went red with more rage; he felt ridiculous. Captured and tied to a tree by a couple of thugs. If the rope was not so tight, if it did not prevent him from using his powers, he would have had them dead in seconds.

But this was not the case.

The knight always went into situations head first. It was the reason for the majority of his scars. So thinking about how to go about situations was not his forte. It seemed that now was the best time to start.

Walter had no ideas, however, so he pulled his face forward and spit in the man's face. The two behind him stood in shock. The man with spit now on his face grew a dark red. He pulled back his hand, ready to punch.

That is, until arrows begun flying.

He yelled out as his thigh was hit, dropping to the ground. He tried to get up as the other two went wide eyed, looking around with swords drawn. But the man dropped once more. Eyes closed, breathing softly.

"What the fuck..." the other one that laughed said, gripping his sword tighter. But an arrow shot through him, causing him to slam into a tree with surprise.
"T-Take the knight and r..." he dropped just like the other, passed right out.

The nervous one still stood, trembling in horror. He did not know what to do; to take Walter and run off? To kill the perpetrator? Or just to run himself?

He did not get the chance to decide; he dropped as soon as the arrow hit him, falling asleep faster than the other larger men.

Walter just stared in surprise. Slowly his eyes moved back and forth in weariness. Another person waiting to kidnap him? A murderer out for some fun? He would not admit it, but he was helpless in this situation.

"Anybody out there?!" he yelled out, trying to rip his now bleeding wrists from the rope.

[Luella Vaettir]

Elle drew back another arrow after dropping the three bandits, and she waited, head cocked slightly, listening. There were three now, but what if there were more? She supposed the ruckus may have drawn any others, but she heard nothing. She slowly loosened her draw on her bow, but kept the arrow notched. Walter called out, asking a rather obvious question in order to try to draw her out. She waited a moment before she stood and stepped through the bushes, glancing around the camp before striding over to the tied up knight. He was looking a bit rough. He must not like the position he was in.

“Well, hello Walter! You look cheery,” Elle said, smiling at him, before walking over to the leader bandit, who still had Walter’s spittle on him. She gave him a little kick in the rear, watching his chest rise as fall steadily. Well, she didn’t kill them by overdosing them. That was good. They could face the knight’s wrath later on then.

“Friends of yours?” she asked, bending down to poke the man in the nose. She wondered what kind of problem they had with Walter. Then again, he was a knight, and they were bad guys. She supposed they could have a lot of problems with Walter. She looked around the camp again and spotted some rope laying nearby. She glanced at Walter for a moment before she stepped over to him, drawing out her dagger.

“How does a knight who protects the queen herself manage to get caught by some small time bandits?” she asked, stepping behind the tree to where his bounds hands were. His wrists were bloody with his efforts to free himself. He clearly didn’t think that one through. She bent, slicing the ropes away easily with her sharp blade, before sheathing her dagger and stepping back around to Walter’s front again. “Are you okay? I have some healing salve for your wrists if you like. I didn’t bring any healing potions. I didn’t think I’d need any,” she offered, walking back to the pile of rope she spotted before and drawing some out to bind up the knight’s attackers.

[Walter Grace]

Not-so-patiently the demon waited, trying to wriggle his arms out of the rope. But to no avail; the ropes just cut a bit deeper each time he moved. He let out a large sigh.

To his luck - or lack of - some bushes trembled. He sat up, a more relaxed expression on his face. Truly this person could not be that bad. After all, they did not know about what the rope did. Perhaps, even if they intended him harm, they would release his arms enough for him to attack.

His hopes and dreams were smashed as a familiar face popped up. An elf woman; at first she only looked familiar. Then the Knight remembered. A small scowl was placed on his face, but he tried to contain himself.

'You look cheery.'
The words make him roll his eyes. Walter was hardly a fan of sarcasm. But he bit his tongue to stop from lashing out.

He just stared at her, waiting patiently to be released. As she walked behind the tree his body tensed in anticipation. Waiting to be free.

At last, his hands shot to his sides and he stood up, stretching and rubbing at his swollen and raw wrists. He winced; wishing he had been in demon form for that experience. Alas, he had to remind himself that human skin was much weaker than his own.

"I'd appreciate that healing salve," he murmured, before looking at the palm of one hand. He concentrated, sending dark magic through his fingertips. his hand glowed with a pale black, jumping off like flames. He smirked.

At least his magic worked again.

"And they took me by surprise," he spoke again, looking up at the elf woman. "Knocked me out from behind. That rope stops me from using any magic, or transforming into a demon. You can imagine why I wouldn't have been able to defeat them so easily in that state."

For a moment he was silent, before he sighed. Walter disliked saying thank you. He rarely was in a situation where he might say it. So when he was in the position to say it to a woman he disliked, for one reason or another, it was disheartening.

"Thanks," he mumbled, as he rubbed the back of his head. Red with what seemed like a mixture of frustration and embarrassment.

[Luella Vaettir]

Elle measured out the rope, cutting up six long pieces before laying them out side by side. She’d tie one end of a piece around the wrists of the bandits, and the other around an ankle, before tying them all together. That way they’d walk together in a train led by the knight, whenever they woke up, and they wouldn’t be able to make a run for it together, not unless their steps were well coordinated. But even then, she was pretty sure a pissed Walter could catch them a skin them alive. Something she’d prefer to be far away from, should that happen.

“Sound like you should learn how to fight as a human, too. It might come in handy for situations like this,” Elle said absently, walking over to Walter, eying him as he mumbled his thanks. Well, he didn’t seem very grateful, but she supposed she should be happy with the thanks that she got.

“You’re welcome. What kind of person would I be if I just let them hurt you?” She said, digging into her pouch to produce a small, black jar. She unscrewed the top to reveal a salve inside that was white with a hint of green, and the scent from it smelled minty.

“You won’t need a lot of this. It’ll help with any pain and keep your wounds clean. It’ll help heal faster too, but not by much. You’d need a healing potion to have it heal faster,” she said, handing the jar and lid over to Walter. She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Though you’re a demon, so maybe you heal faster than most.” She turned to look at the bandits before walking over to the leader, grabbing hold of his ankles and she began the laborious task of dragging him closer to the others. Just what she needed to clear her head! Dragging a man across the forest floor while in the presence of some knight with a giant stick up his ass about her for some reason or another!

She paused in her dragging, an annoyed look on her face, before she armed a light sweat off her forehead and continued dragging. Honestly, why were men so incredibly stupid? Aerin and Uncle Vlad seemed to have some stupid problem with each other that neither thought was necessary to explain to anybody else. You couldn’t just hate someone for no damn reason! And Aerin! Why was he being so immature about Vlad wanting to make up? Elle found the action nice and adult like, but Aerin was too stubborn to want to even talk about Vlad’s visit, let alone the process of making amends! He was acting like a child, damn it! Walter was just some knight who didn’t like her, which she supposed she could deal with, but damn it, she hadn’t done anything wrong! And he had better be treating her brother right, or she’d pitch the biggest fit. Who cares if he was a demon? She’d still slap his face until he needed a new one! And why the fuck did all these bandits think they could take on a demon without any consequences!? Were all men just stupid!?

“Stupid…idiots…all of them…” Elle muttered under her breath, getting angry all over again. She paused in her dragging, panting, glaring at the bandit whose ankles she gripped. “Men are just dumb, and you are too! Gods, why do you even have heavy armor! You’re a damn bandit!”

[Walter Grace]

Walter grunted in reply; of course he would not say it aloud, but she was right. He couldn't keep relying on magic and demon powers. He needed to know how to fight in all forms.

The Knight gently took the jar and cap, looking into it with a slight eyebrow raise. For all he knew this stuff was poison. Maybe she was trying to kill him-
She didn't have to save me he had to remind himself. Even as rude as he was acting, she was still being nice.

Smarten up Walter. Be a little more kind. Something Namari always told him. Perhaps now was the time to relax a little.

Besides, this salve smelled lovely.

He did not speak, listening and watching what she was doing as he carefully rubbed at the wounds with the balm. It stung ever so slightly; perhaps from any mint in it. But soon it was soothing, causing the Knight's shoulders to slump in relaxation.

His eyes wandered up again to watch her drag one of the bandits across the forest floor. He felt a bit bad for the lady; after all she didn't look strong enough to carry an armored, large man across the land. But she was still doing it. Didn't even ask for Walter's help.

Maybe she wasn't that bad. Her teasing was frustrating, but other than that she did not seem to pose much of a thread. Except with a bow perhaps.

His eyebrow raised when she began to mumble; then a grin spread onto his face once he realized whom she was talking about. He tried to hold in his chuckle. It escaped slightly, but he tried to cover it with a cough.

"Well when dealing with a Knight, I suppose they thought they aught to come prepared," he spoke, placing the lid back on the jar and placing it on the ground. "After all, they didn't exactly know a lass would be pulling them across the ground, now did they?"

He walked over to her and, hand on one of the man's ankles, said, "Start tying up the others, I got this. No need to strain yourself."
He had a smile on his face. But not exactly a friendly smile; more of an amused smile. A woman whom liked to flirt, tease, and who had a temper. No, she might not be a threat.

But the tabled had turned; her frustrated, Walter amused. It made him smile even more.

[Luella Vaettir]

(Small post. >.< )

“Well, we’re in the middle of the damn woods. They should know better than to relax out here,” Elle said, continuing to tug on the man’s ankle, though her arms were already getting tired. This, right here, was exactly why she never hunted big game without hiring a man like Delliks to assist her. Of course looking back, coming out here to hunt a big, dangerous hydra with only a bow and no means to transport it back to the city. She probably wasn’t going to find one. Hell, she just needed a walk.

She paused when Walter stepped up to her, grabbing hold of the man. She looked at him, seeing his smile. It wasn’t all that friendly, but it was a smile, and that was surprising.

“I didn’t think you could smile,” she panted, stepping out of Walter’s way. She bent, grabbing the salve and putting it away. “You should do it more often. People look better when they smile.” Despite her words she was not smiling. She turned and grabbed the rope she cut earlier, sighing. She needed to level her head. No use in getting all angry with Walter here. She doubted he would care, and even if he did by some miracle, it really wasn’t his problem. Walter wouldn’t be able to do much.

She stepped up to the two men who were already conveniently lined up and knelt, beginning to tie their ankles together in a makeshift lead. She paused, looking over at Walter and his wounded wrists, and then turned back to tighten the rope around the bandit’s ankles.

“What were you doing out in the woods anyway? I don’t think they’d bother to jump you in the streets of the city and drag you way out here,” Elle asked, blowing strands of hair from her face. She stepped forward a bit, beginning to tie their wrists now. She paused though to pull her hair back and quickly braid it into a sloppy, untied braid. It’d hold long enough to stay out of her way while she finished this little task.

[Walter Grace]

(( lol That's not exactly small A small post I consider to be two paragraphs on this site! ))

He grunted in reply to her smile remark; though he hardly thought that him smiling would look 'better'. After all, his demeanor was not friendly. It was strength. He didn't want to look all that friendly when dealing with the scum of the city.

But what about the common folk, the people whom did no harm? He didn't smile for them either. Perhaps he was pushing people away. Perhaps he was preparing for a day when those folk might turn to scum.

It was much easier being rude and cold to people when they were nice to you, then forcing yourself to be that way to those you were friendly to.

He was lost in his own thoughts; not noticing Elle's lack of a smile.

He dropped the man that now nearly touched the others, and followed Elle's lead; tying him up first by the ankles.
"Some servants at the castle needed herbs. Seeing as how they were busy and I was not, I decided to volunteer myself."

Walter looked up briefly, and around at the plants in the forest. Suppose they won't be getting them today.
For a moment it was silent, only the sound of rope being tied, before his eyebrows furrowed. His head turned to face Elle.

"What were you doing out here with sedatives to knock out people?" he asked. Certainly she was not out hunting anything that needed those sedatives. After all, she could hardly carry a bandit, let alone a beast.

[Luella Vaettir]

Why wouldn’t herbs that were needed be growing in the gardens somewhere? Elle wondered at this, but didn’t bother to ask. It wasn’t like people kept a huge storage of growing plants just in case. Aerin used many different plants in his potions and even he didn’t keep a garden. But he could just summon the plants from any part of the world to his desk, so it wasn’t necessary.

“Well, I could always help you find them. I camp out in the woods a lot, and foraging is something I do often,” Elle suggested, finishing off her tying before standing straight. “If you don’t want to forage you could always go to my brother’s shop. He usually has a stock of dried herbs there that he may have, too.” Gods knew she didn’t want to go there anytime soon.

She watched Walter work before turning to walk over to the bandit’s things, rummaging through them. It was half out of curiosity mostly. She wanted to know what they had that was worth anything. She opened a sack and found some apples, bright red and shining. She smiled a bit, plucking one from the sack and biting into it. It was only after she bit into the apple she realized she hadn’t eaten anything all day. She was starving! Maybe she should shoot down some rabbits or something for dinner later tonight. Invite Meryl over and remain in his company until her sour mood passed. He’d probably get her to cheer up.

Elle looked over to Walter when he questioned her as to why she had strong sedatives. She swallowed her bit of apple and turned back to the cart with the goodies on it.

“I wanted to hunt a hydra. I never saw one before and the creature guide said they were dangerous, so that’s why I have a sedative. I don’t know if it’d be strong enough to knock one out, but it would at least slow it down,” she replied quickly. Well, it wasn’t like she was lying. Never mind the fact that she didn’t have strong enough arrows for it, having left the more powerful ones back home, or the fact that she had no company out here to help, or any means of taking any spoils back to the city. She sighed inwardly. She wasn’t prepared to hunt a hydra at all, and she knew it. It was a good thing she didn’t encounter one out here, or she’d be screwed.

“And…I just wanted to clear my head. The woods is a great place to do that,” she added, giving Walter the real reason she was actually out here.

[Walter Grace]

He watched as she rummaged through the bandits things; at first, he was going to say something along the lines of 'don't do that'. But then he remembered these men were trying to sell him off.
Fuck the law; she could steal the shirts off their back for all he cared. Or, as she was doing, their food.

The knight couldn't help but have a slightly smug expression on his face as he finished tying up the largest man.

"Hydra's are usually deeper into the forest," Walter said, pointing down the ways. "Not too far from here. But its where barely any sunlight gets through the trees, and the bush is thick. I'd suggest going with a partner for cautions sake if you ever want to do it again."

There were many people who went hunting for hydras in Avaleur whom got hurt faily badly. He had heard a story about two young men who barely escaped with their lives. Though those two didn't have any sedatives.

But Walter could not disagree with her statement. The woods were a good place to clear your head. Another reason why the thugs had been able to sneak up on him in the first place.

"And I suppose you could try and point me in the right direction," he stood up, wiping off his hands before absentmindedly rubbing at one of his still a bit sore wrists. "Don't know what its called. Long green, shiny leaves. Tiny white flowers at the base. Helps with eyesight apparently."

He was surprised at her willingness to help; after all, she had already helped out already. Really, if Walter was in her position he would probably just point them in the right direction of the city and have them on their way.

But that could just be because he knew nothing about plants.

[Luella Vaettir]

Elle paused in her looting, since that was what she was doing, and turned to look where Walter pointed. She noted the direction, having a great mental map, which always helped as a hunter, then bit into the apple again. She turned back to the cart, rummaging through it some more. It looked like they had a bunch of stolen goods; gold, candlesticks, some fancy clothing, a lot of food…ugh her stomach was not going to let her forget that she was starving. They had good food though. Fresh enough bread, some carrots, potatoes, and she found a sack with salt crystals in it, and a box that contained butter.

“Looking back, I was not prepared to face a hydra. It actually is a good thing I didn’t. I guess I was too upset to think clearly when I left,” she said, opening another sack to reveal more of the magical rope that had suppressed Walter’s powers.

“Oh, look. Here’s more of that rope,” she said, pulling out the coil, looking it over. It was interesting. She wondered how it suppresses magic. Probably a spell or something. Maybe she’d take a bit and give it over to Aerin after he stopped acting like a total butt.

“Does it grow by water? I think I’ve seen something like that grow by water before,” Elle added, stashing the rope back into its sack. She turned to look at Walter, seeing he was finished tying up the bandits. “You hungry? We could search for your plant, and I could bag a couple of rabbits and we could eat here. Unless you want to carry three men back to the city.” She supposed he could. He was a demon, and powerful one if his status as protector of the queen meant anything. Did he even eat food? She didn’t know, since there were a million different kinds of demons in the world. Each one seemed so different than the last.

“I think a stream is nearby. Why don’t you tie them to the tree and we check it out?” she suggested, pushing herself off the cart and walking towards the direction she smelled water, not really bothering to wait for a reply from Walter. He’d either come or he wouldn’t. Either way, she was going to see if she could find this plant.

[Walter Grace]

Walter was curious as to what Elle was upset about that made her think so unclearly. But soon she changed the conversation, leaving little room to ask. And although Walter was curious, he wasn't so curious as to boldly ask a question that might be a bit more private than he might anticipate.

Each time he would try to reply to what she was saying, she would change the subject. Upset, rope, herb, food, herb.

He could only blindly follow her instruction as she walked off, quickly rushing to tie them tightly to a tree before stumbling after her, picking up a sword on his way.

As he tied the weapon to his belt he slowed down, catching up with her.
"I've no idea if it's near water," he replied, looking around as they walked. And had Walter stayed around to listen to the servant's instructions he would have found out.

But he was an impatient man.

"So I'm guessing you come out hunting a lot then?" he asked, head tilted slightly in her direction to listen.
He assumed, because if her first instinct as someone upset was to hunt something, then it was probably something she enjoyed doing in her spare time.

[Luella Vaettir]

Elle stepped over a fallen log and walked towards the direction of the nearby stream. Or maybe river. It had a strong, wet smell, so it was possibly a little river. If it were big it’d make more of a sound. She just began to hear the sound of water rushing over rocks when Walter caught up, having decided to follow her.

“It’s a guess. Lots of plants with small flowers grow around water. It isn’t a rule, since lots of plants with small flowers grow everywhere else too, but it is a start,” she said, spotting the little river up ahead between the trees. She pushed herself through a bush that was riddled with thorns, and managed to emerge from the other side without drawing blood, and she stood, looking at the little river that rushed by. The current kept it clean, and Elle figured it fed into a bigger river or something, since she could see some small fish darting by, following the current.

“I hunt for a living, actually,” Elle said, sliding down the slight embankment closer to the water. “I’ve always loved hunting. Daddy says I always had the spirit for it and a good eye. He introduced me so some elfish hunters that passed by our town once a year, and they taught me the basics.” She gazed around before striding over to some shrubbery that grew by the water. She bent to examine the plants and grasses, unconsciously presenting her shapely rear to Walter. She didn’t mean it, especially since she recently was seeing a man. She wasn’t sure if they were in a relationship per se, but they had a lot of potential for it, and they enjoyed seeing each other, so Elle backed off on flirting with other men and her usual antics in favor of Meryl.

“How about you? How did you fall into becoming a knight for the queen?” Elle asked, not seeing any plant that matched Walter’s description, so she straightened and looked around for anything that had white flowers and long leaves.

[Walter Grace]

Walter looked around the riverbank, enjoying the sight itself, but disappointment at the lack of the herb he needed to find. He looked up, and raised an eyebrow as Elle's arse was in the air. He would be lying if he didn't say he did not enjoy the view more now. But he soon looked away.

For one, now was not the time. And another, he had no interest in seeing anyone else. Almost getting married to someone, and canceling last second wasn't exactly the nicest feeling. Didn't leave for much interest in pursuing someone. Not to say he was interested.

Though she did have a nice rear.

He sighed as he himself stood upright, placing his hands on his hips. Biting at the inside of his cheeks. How in the gods name was he supposed to find these herbs? If a huntress couldn't find it, how could he?

"Long story," he stated, silent for a moment before looking over to her. "Long story short, the town nominated people to become Knights when we first started up. Before we even had a Queen or King again. I was nominated."

He muttered under his breath, "Gods know why."

Despite his rude attitude and temperament, he was much worse back then. A rather nice lad in his human form, a cruel monster in his demon. Over time, his personalities merged together, creating the person he was today.

But he still did not understand why he was a Knight. Perhaps because his cruel ways had come in handy some times. Or perhaps it was because Steele had nominated him.

"After some time, the kingdom was formed again. King Phillis reined for a bit, then Namari. I suppose I'm just doing what everyone's telling me to."
Be a knight. Work for Phillis. Work for Namari. It was simple. He didn't have to think purely for himself.

[Luella Vaettir]

Elle listened to Walter as he gave her his brief answer to her question. She gazed around before she continued walking down stream, keeping her eyes peeled for the herb Walter was searching for before he got jumped. He just did things that he was told to do. Well, he was a knight. It was kind of his duty and all. Elle didn’t think she could ever be a knight. She didn’t like to listen. She rebelled a lot growing up, and ignored the rules. So much so that her brother eventually suffered for it. She supposed she should listen better now, since the accident, but she couldn’t. She just put more care into her life now.

“I guess it’s alright if it is what you want. You could always do something for yourself every once in a while too,” Elle said, pausing in her steps. She peered across the river, head tilted.

“It sounds like the current Avaleur isn’t really all that old, if you’ve been around long enough to see it form,” she added, looking around before spotting a few rocks scattered across the river. She could use them as stepping stones. She bounded over to one, leaping from stone to stone until she landed nimbly on the other side. She bent, brushing away leaves and twigs.

“So Walter, you’re going to be nice to me and Aerin from now on, right?” she called, smirking a bit before she turned and pointed, having found the very plant he was searching for. “Because not only did I save you from some bandits, but I found your plant. You owe me!” she joked, before bending and taking out her knife. “What all did you need? The leaves or the whole plant?”

[Walter Grace]

You could always do something for yourself every once in a while too. The words echoed through his head, and he stopped looking. Only if just for a second. He supposed it was true. And he did; after all, the engagement was canceled by himself for his own health.

Next time someone needed a job that wasn't that imprtant done, Walter was taking a day off.

"The knights have been around for about four years," Walter stated, scratching at his beard as he bent down to look at more plants. He huffed in annoyance. This was literally impossible.
"It was certainly more extravagant, or so I hear, back before that war."

He watched as she jumped from stone to stone, impressed by her agility. Surely his clumsy feet could not do that.

"Why in the hell-" he muttered, as she mentioned being nice to them, before going wide eyed. A smirk played on his lips.
Finally he could get back.

"Not sure, I'd take the whole thing just to be sure," he stated, making his way to the riverbed and looking to where she stood, the smile still on his face.

He probably should be nicer to them from now on though. Despite his first impression, Elle wasn't all that bad. Did save his ass a few times now.

Certainly, he could not complain.

[Luella Vaettir]

Elle nodded, dropping to a knee and digging her knife into the ground around the plant, loosening the soil. Once it was loosened, she pulled the plant, roots and all, and shook free any excess dirt. She smiled, eying the plant. She wondered how it helped with eyesight. Then wondered if it helped the blind. She glanced around, wondering if they should keep looking. How much more of the plent did the servants back home need? Should they get another plant or two? She turned before peeking over a bush and she paused, seeing a big cluster of the plants, crowded together, leaves waving in a slight breeze.

“Hey! I found more! Like a big group!” she called, delighted, and setting the plant she uprooted down by the bank. She parted the bush a bit and pushed herself through it, stepping to the cluster. The bushes snapped back into place, obscuring her from Walter’s view from the waist down.

“Why don’t we get a few more? Then go back?” she called, glancing at Walter before bending, dropping entirely from view now, and stabbing her knife into the ground by the nearest plant and began working on pulling it up. What a lucky find! Walter would be thanked for days if he came in with a good load of the plants. And he could maybe remember this spot for future finds. If not him then Elle could.

She pulled up another plant, then paused, hearing rustling. She looked around, suddenly feeling nervous. Was it a squirrel? She hated those things! They’re freaky, beady little soulless eyes, that twitchy tail, their chittering teeth. Ugh! Bring on a hydra any day. The rustling continued, but instead of the chatter of rodents, Elle heard a soft, childish giggle. It sent a chill up her spine. She glanced around, hoping to see what was making that noise, then realized her vision was sort of blurry. She blinked, reaching up to rub an eye, and paused, seeing her palm was bloody. The hell? She squinted her eyes at her hands, both bloodied, and saw thorns sticking in them. She plucked out a thorn, and a hot, pain fizzled through her hands, then faded. It looked like she had grabbed hold of something covered in thorns. But when did she…?

She looked down at the plant she uprooted, and was a bit dismayed to see it wasn’t the same plant she had set to work on. This plant had thorny leaves, bright red flowers, and roots that gave off a sick smell. She looked around, realizing the cluster she was sitting in wasn’t a cluster of the plant Walter was looking for. Not anymore. Her head swam, vision blurring worse. She remembered Aerin saying something once, on their way to Avaleur.

“You should be more careful when picking flowers Elle. Some plants can give off a scent that weakens your mind, and makes you see things differently. A lot of predators like to hunt near these plants, because anything that strays into them can be easy to pick off.”

Elle looked back to her hands. She smelled the flowers of a plant that altered her mind apparently, and she saw what she wanted to see perhaps? Then managed to have more of the damn drug or whatever introduced to her from the thorns. And now…

She heard the giggling again, and it made her heart freeze. What the fuck was out there that made that kind of noise?

“Walter?” she called, voice a bit muffled. She found it hard to speak, and her world started tilting and swaying, making her feel dizzy and a bit sick. She tossed the plant she held away, moved to stand, and stumbled, falling to her knees. “Walter! I think…the plants…” Another giggle, this one sounding maniacal. Okay, she needed to leave. Now.

[Walter Grace]

He did not get the chance to respond as she went entirely out of view. But slowly he made his way over to the rocks, and tried to make his way across. He was struggling; the rocks slippery, his feet clumbsy. Multiple times he almost fell in. As he was half way across, before he heard a muffled call of his name.

Concentrating on the call, he slipped, foot hitting the river's bottom. It was halfway up his leg, and much colder than he expected.

He scowled.

But he soon realized he heard more muffling; this time a more panicked call. The side of his mouth twitched. Not wanting to be caught without magic again, he quickly transformed. A black smokey veil covered his body, before vanishing. Leaving the man with ram's horns, darker hair, and black wings escaping his back.

"Luella?" he called, wading through the water to the other river bed. Because of the thick bush, his wings barely made it through. He cursed and swore as he moved through the wood in the direction he thought the elf was in. Dark magic coursed through his left hand

He was so busy looking for Elle, he did not notice the giggles.

Finally he spotted her, and he jogged over, placing his other hand on her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" he murmured, eyebrows furrowed.

[Luella Vaettir]

Elle tried to clear her vision, looking out over the patch of flowers that were not the flowers she had wanted. Her vision continued to mess with her though. One minute they looked like the little white flowers Walter was looking for, another minute they were entirely different. The giggling continued, but it was sounding less and less human, more and more terrifying to her drugged mind. She slumped forward, falling over. She tried to lift herself up onto her elbows, and after a minute or two she succeeded. She gazed around the trees, looking at the shadows that they cast. The thing that was hunting her could be anywhere! And she couldn’t tell if there were more than one or not.

She looked around again, hearing that laughter, and she paused, staring at what looked like a hunched figure of some sort. It wasn’t very large, about the size and general shape of what looked like a medium sized dog. She swallowed dryly, hoping she was just hallucinating again. The figure stepped into the light a bit, and Elle’s color drained from her. The dog thing had pitch black eyes, dark purple, leathery skin, which shined in the light, and long, eel like whiskers drooping from its snout. It peeled back its lips and laughed at her, though there was no mirth in those eyes. Just hunger. The thing suddenly slipped back into the shadows, and Elle gasped as a hand fell on her shoulder.

She turned, looking up at a swimming version of Walter. Well, thank the gods he was around.

“Walter...there’s something out here…” she started, before remembering what got her into this situation in the first place.

“Don’t breath! Flowers are…toxic…” she said softly, her arms and legs giving out and she slumped to the forest floor again.