It was humid. The sort of humidity that one could practically taste in their mouth. The birds of the endless canopy of the Shroud chirped their delight at the just-finished rain and the sunlight, but all Steel could think about was the damnable humidity, and how it caused her sweat to soak the undershirt and leggings she wore beneath plate and chain.
She had completed her most recent leve--a solo strike against the poachers of the forest. As proof of the deed, she hoisted along her back three spears and three bows. The fight had been predictable, but coin was coin, and so the Roegadyn would ignore boredom for filling up her gil pouch.
Her golden chocobo, Guldblyss, seemed to languish and wither under the misty heat as well, as her pace had slowed down. There was little point to hurrying--the walls of a nearby settlement began to peer through the trees, and soon Steel could return to someplace where at least there was a slight breeze blowing. Her time in the Shroud made her miss the constant wind that covered Limsa Lominsa. It was murder to her hair, but then, sweat and humidity were worse.
Her thoughts were snapped in half by the angry buzzing sound of an arrow's flight. A dull thump and a pained wark signaled the end of reverie, as Guldblyss reared up, throwing Steel onto her back as the mount fell onto its side.
Steel groaned as she picked herself up, scurrying across the loamy earth as another two shafts thumped into the ground nearby. Her axe was hitched on her baldric, but so too were the additional weapons. She cried out as she managed to scramble to a tree, looking around the edge of its trunk helplessly as she watched her prized bird squirm, yellow feathers staining red with the blood from its throat.
Steel began to untie the bundle from around her chest, messily setting the wooden weapons clattering onto the ground. The signal of where she was did not go unnoticed, as another shaft zipped by past her hiding place. Steel shimmied herself up the tree trunk, her shoulders walking her up the bark's surface into a standing position. A few angry calls echoed through the trees as the poachers began to close in. The sound of steel freeing from a scabbard. Another arrow, this time thumping into the tree.
Steel rushed out from behind the tree, dashing forward to find her next hiding spot, as well as to perhaps sight her quarry. The run provided bare information--three, probably. One with a lance, the others obviously with sword and bow respectively. She dodged as the shooter let fly another arrow, diving behind another heavy tree. She heard the heavy footsteps of one closing the distance, holding her breath as the attacker closed.
When the poacher rounded the tree, his sword blade led, chopping into the bark as Steel timed her duck. In the same motion, her gauntleted fist thudded into the man's chest, sending all of his breath out of him with a loud whoomf. The blade had caught in the tree, and Steel was able to free it first, then in the same motion gashed across the man's chest. He screamed out in agony as he fell backwards. Steel tossed the pitiful blade aside and freed her axe from its baldric.
"Alrick!" ,cried one of the poachers--female. Steel allowed herself a grim smirk. This one had a name. The woman would avenge. Be sloppy. Soon enough, the Miqo'te poacher roared out, leaping forward with her lance thrusting in a furious attack. Steel brought up her axe, the haft parrying the thrust away easily. Her body moved onward as the weight of the axe blade brought her to shift to her right. She spun to with the momentum, bringing her weapon to bear in a sideways strike. The axe blade thumped wetly into the Miqo'te's back, caushing her pained roar to change to a grunt as her lithe body folded backwards onto the weapon. Steel halted the weapon with a lock of her elbow, and the body fell off her axe, crumpling onto the forest floor. Just at that moment, another arrow whizzed by, pinging loudly off of the large pauldron that sat just in front of Steel's head.
Steel saw where the shaft came from.
She roared out like a feral beast, metallic footsteps thudding like a charging boar. The bowman, to his credit, stood firm as he calmly reached to his quiver to nock another bow to his string. He would not move fast enough, however, as Steel crashed into him with her shoulder, sending the two sprawling to the ground. The Elezen bowman thumped beneath Steel, looking up in time to see the Roegadyn drop her axe downwards to burst the man's head into an explosive, red pulp.
Steel panted as she ran back to her mount, her axe dropping nearby as she slid on her knees on the loamy earth towards her friend. The pool of blood was immense. Steel ripped the shaft from Guldblyss' neck and tried desperately to cover the wound with her hands, not noticing that the ferocity of the bloodflow had all but halted. Panicked, she looked over the chocobo, her panting heightening as realization took hold. The bird's eyes were misted over, its beak hanging open limply.
Steel reared back, shrilly crying out her mourning rage to the canopy above, setting several birds to flight in terror.
She had completed her most recent leve--a solo strike against the poachers of the forest. As proof of the deed, she hoisted along her back three spears and three bows. The fight had been predictable, but coin was coin, and so the Roegadyn would ignore boredom for filling up her gil pouch.
Her golden chocobo, Guldblyss, seemed to languish and wither under the misty heat as well, as her pace had slowed down. There was little point to hurrying--the walls of a nearby settlement began to peer through the trees, and soon Steel could return to someplace where at least there was a slight breeze blowing. Her time in the Shroud made her miss the constant wind that covered Limsa Lominsa. It was murder to her hair, but then, sweat and humidity were worse.
Her thoughts were snapped in half by the angry buzzing sound of an arrow's flight. A dull thump and a pained wark signaled the end of reverie, as Guldblyss reared up, throwing Steel onto her back as the mount fell onto its side.
Steel groaned as she picked herself up, scurrying across the loamy earth as another two shafts thumped into the ground nearby. Her axe was hitched on her baldric, but so too were the additional weapons. She cried out as she managed to scramble to a tree, looking around the edge of its trunk helplessly as she watched her prized bird squirm, yellow feathers staining red with the blood from its throat.
Steel began to untie the bundle from around her chest, messily setting the wooden weapons clattering onto the ground. The signal of where she was did not go unnoticed, as another shaft zipped by past her hiding place. Steel shimmied herself up the tree trunk, her shoulders walking her up the bark's surface into a standing position. A few angry calls echoed through the trees as the poachers began to close in. The sound of steel freeing from a scabbard. Another arrow, this time thumping into the tree.
Steel rushed out from behind the tree, dashing forward to find her next hiding spot, as well as to perhaps sight her quarry. The run provided bare information--three, probably. One with a lance, the others obviously with sword and bow respectively. She dodged as the shooter let fly another arrow, diving behind another heavy tree. She heard the heavy footsteps of one closing the distance, holding her breath as the attacker closed.
When the poacher rounded the tree, his sword blade led, chopping into the bark as Steel timed her duck. In the same motion, her gauntleted fist thudded into the man's chest, sending all of his breath out of him with a loud whoomf. The blade had caught in the tree, and Steel was able to free it first, then in the same motion gashed across the man's chest. He screamed out in agony as he fell backwards. Steel tossed the pitiful blade aside and freed her axe from its baldric.
"Alrick!" ,cried one of the poachers--female. Steel allowed herself a grim smirk. This one had a name. The woman would avenge. Be sloppy. Soon enough, the Miqo'te poacher roared out, leaping forward with her lance thrusting in a furious attack. Steel brought up her axe, the haft parrying the thrust away easily. Her body moved onward as the weight of the axe blade brought her to shift to her right. She spun to with the momentum, bringing her weapon to bear in a sideways strike. The axe blade thumped wetly into the Miqo'te's back, caushing her pained roar to change to a grunt as her lithe body folded backwards onto the weapon. Steel halted the weapon with a lock of her elbow, and the body fell off her axe, crumpling onto the forest floor. Just at that moment, another arrow whizzed by, pinging loudly off of the large pauldron that sat just in front of Steel's head.
Steel saw where the shaft came from.
She roared out like a feral beast, metallic footsteps thudding like a charging boar. The bowman, to his credit, stood firm as he calmly reached to his quiver to nock another bow to his string. He would not move fast enough, however, as Steel crashed into him with her shoulder, sending the two sprawling to the ground. The Elezen bowman thumped beneath Steel, looking up in time to see the Roegadyn drop her axe downwards to burst the man's head into an explosive, red pulp.
Steel panted as she ran back to her mount, her axe dropping nearby as she slid on her knees on the loamy earth towards her friend. The pool of blood was immense. Steel ripped the shaft from Guldblyss' neck and tried desperately to cover the wound with her hands, not noticing that the ferocity of the bloodflow had all but halted. Panicked, she looked over the chocobo, her panting heightening as realization took hold. The bird's eyes were misted over, its beak hanging open limply.
Steel reared back, shrilly crying out her mourning rage to the canopy above, setting several birds to flight in terror.
