::Kari awoke the next morning, just before dawn. Twilight sat lightly on the glistening dew, preparing for the first lights of the dawn to gently graze the valley. Opening her eyes, she laid there a moment, trying to figure out whether or not everything that had happened the previous night was real. Standing and pulling a long robe about her shoulders, she opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony. The stars were dimmer than usual. Kari sighed sadly. Yes, all of it had really happened. She stood there a long while and watched the sun peek over the edge of the valley before deciding to go find Sane to say one last goodbye. She dressed quickly and began to wander the halls of the Hall, looking for him::
::Suddenly, Terah turned a corner, almost colliding with Kari. Taking a few steps back, and looking a bit shaken, she spoke quietly:: Milady! I would not expect to see you this early.
::Kari met Terah's eyes:: Terah, have you seen Sane?
::The girl looked confused:: Milady, Lord Sane left lastnight... I saw him set out to the Northeast...
::The half-Elf woman stepped back in disbelief, her eyes wide. After a short moment, she turned and ran out of the hall and through the fields. Tears streamed across her face as she tried to escape the overwhelming pain that tore at her heart now. She skidded to a stop atop the highest cliff that hung over the falls and overlooked the entire valley. The wind ripped through her hair with sharp gusts, sending it flying madly about her distrought face as she scanned the world for any sign of hope that might remain for her::
*Sane looked up he could see the sun starting to poke through the branches although it was still a bit dark in the forest. The birds started to stris and make a noises as his horse moved on. Sane smiled when he saw a clearing up ahead. He would camp there and eat his breakfast. He rode foward a bit faster and then got off his horse leading it to a tree in teh clearing tieing it to a branch. He went over to one of its satchels and took out a piece of bread and cheese along with a skin full of wine. He sat down under a tree and began to eat his meal.*
"Well... well what do we have here?" A voice comes out from in front of Sane as a man steps out from behind a tree. His face was covered by a black cloth and he wore a standard garb for a bandit, black pants and shirt with black boots. "I see we have a visitor in my section of the wood. You know you're going to have to pay a toll to stop here and eat."
*Sane got up leaving his food on the ground.*
"I'll gladly move along sir if you wish me to." Sane says a smirk on his face.
*The bandit sneers under the cloth on his face and draws a dagger.*
"No that just won't do... You have to pay the toll." the bandit says his voice a little colder then before.
::As Kari looked down at the valley, someone stepped up behind her. A man's voice spoke:: I told you that he wasn't right for you. I told you that you were meant to be with one of your own kind.
::Kari turned to see Ferus standing behind her. She simply stared at him blankly and spoke with no emotion in her voice:: Yes...perhaps... ::Her eyes drifted to the side:: ...but I have no kind... I am neither Elf nor...whatever it is I am....
::Ferus took a step toward her:: You belong at my side, Valkrie. You were promised to me.
::The half-Elf maiden's eyes turned back to her old training partner, sharper than before:: When Gerili died, that promise died with him. It was his word, not mine.
::Ferus began to grow angry, taking another step toward her and grabbing her wrist:: You think that pathetic human actually cares about you?! He left you, Val! He abandoned you! Just like Aremus!
::Kari's eyes trembled with pain at the memory of her lover long ago:: A...Aremus....
::Ferus continued, his grip tightening on her wrist and his eyes dangerous:: Yes, Aremus! He left you too, remember?! That's how all those disgusting mortals are! They will always turn their backs on you, no matter how hard you try! They are nothing but untrustworthy, traitorous-
::Kari cut him short with a solid fist to his jaw, sending him face-first into the ground. Her eyes gleamed dangerously green, sharp as daggers, and her few pointed teeth gleamed::
*Sane's smirk stayed on his face. One bandit... He could deal with that with ease. He moved foward towarsd the bandit the cocky smirk still on his face.*
"And what if I choose not to pay the toll?" Sane says chuckling to himself.
*The Bandit clearly looks pissed off now his hands tremble with rage as he grips his dagger.*
"Then you will pay with your life it does not matter to me." The bandit sputters in rage.
*Sane smiles and draws two daggers from his sides and readys them.*
"Then I believe I'm about to have to defend myself." Sane says still smirking.
*The Bandit gives a yell and ruches at Sane his dagger in the air wanting to be brought down on Sane's chest. Sane side steps the Bandit tripping him and watching as he fell face first into the dirt. Sane laughs and waits for the Bandit to get up which he does and ruches at Sane again this time Sane side steps but instead of tripping the Bandit his plants a kick to the back of his head once more making his face hit the ground. The Bandit gets up ange seething form his every pore.*
"Had enough?" Sane says smirking.
"Never... It's never enough." The Bandit screams rushing at Sane again.
::Ferus stood, a dangerous fire burning in his eyes:: You are mine, Valkrie!
::Her clenched fists tightened and her eyes flashed:: I belong to no one!!! ::He lunged at her, drawing his knives. She managed to duck his blades and roll to the side, unsheathing her own. Regaining her bearings after the roll, she saw him attack again, but this time she wasn't fast enough to dodge. The man's daggers struck her, cutting three deep horizontal gashes in her torso. She stumbled backward a few steps, gasping in pain. Looking up at him,, she spoke in a choked voice, a defiant smirk on her face:: The Gulliare...I didn't know you'd learned that one...
::Ferus didn't smile:: I know more than you think.
*Sane grins as the bandit rushes at him. He had had enough of playing with the fool. Sane readies his daggers as the bandit rushes at him, he sidesteps once more but instead of tripping the bandit he jumps in the air and plants a solid boot to his back and then swipes his blade across his back in an X shape. The bandit falls to the crowd howling in pain.*
"You b*****d... You will pay for this." The bandits sputters blood dripping from his back where Sane had cut him.
"You are a fool if you think you can win against me." Sane says a smirk on his face, he felt sorry for the bandit yet he had enough sense in him not to help him.
*The bandit stands up and grits his teeth absorbing the pain. He readies his dagger for another charge and runs at Sane. Sane shakes his head in disgust and rushes foward jumping over the bandit implanting his blade in between the bandits shoulder blades. Sane lands softly on the ground as the bandits falls face flat... dead...*
"The world will be better without him." Sane shispers to himself as he tries to justify his actions to himself.
::Blood dripped from Kari's stomache, staining the water at her feet red. She was standing in the shallows of the river that ran into the falls. She lowered her knives:: Don't make me kill you, Ferus.
::He laughed:: You?! Kill me?! Ha! You might have been the better student in the past, Valkrie, but I am the better warrior now. You can't beat me. ::At that, he lunged at her again. She blocked his blades with her own, knocking him aside and pulling one knife across his back. He cried out in pain and stumbled forward, falling to his knees::
::Kari moved in front of him and looked down at him with flaring green eyes:: You are a snake, Ferus. Go slither back to the hole from which you came. You don't belong in Velnarre. ::Her voice turned even colder:: Leave my city and never show your face in these lands again. ::With that, she walked past him::
::As she walked away, Ferus stood and turned, taking up his knives, and struck, cutting an X across her back. She screamed in pain, dropping her knives, which tumbled down the falls as she fell to her knees, blood pouring streaming down her back and into the water::
::Ferus circled in front of her and knelt, grabbing her face in his hand and forcing her to look at him:: I am the true Guardian of Velnarre, and a filthy Demon-blooded wench like you will not take that from me!!!
::She looked up at him through drenched bangs, her eyes glowing and her teeth gleaming sharply:: You could never protect a people you do not understand! ::Her eyes flashed and a strange burst of energy from her body sent Ferus flying backward over the edge of the falls to his death::
*Sane shakes his head and goes over the the Bandit retrieving his blade cleaning it off on the bandit's pant leg. Sane puts away his dagger back in there place on his thighs and gets back on his horse fogetting his meal. He knew he should move on before the body was discovered, the other bandits would want revenge.*
"Mmmm it would be peaceful here without all of these bandits." Sane mutters to himself as he gets on his horse.
*Sane kicks the horse into a trot and moves foward through the forest ducking beneath low branches.*
"Life is so simple on the road." Sane sighs quitely... He was lieing to himself... He missed Kari and he knew it... But he also knew that he had to continue on...
::Kari forced herself to stand, moving to the edge of the falls and looking down to the deadly plunge below:: ...Death comes on swift wings... ::She trailed off, passing out as she fell forward over the edge of the falls::
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