The Life of Thieves and Assassins [(A Fire Emblem RP) Yuna & Veinexes's 1x1]


Elise nodded, now beginning to better understand why Volke had tried to convince her not to join. It wasn't that he thought her incapable, no. The damn mission was depressing as hell, with no definite guarantee on the outcome. There were basically three outlooks as far as she could see. Meet with the goddess and possibly die then and there upon failing to negotiate with her, die abruptly later on without meeting her, or the talk somehow goes well and you die naturally. Of all of those, the most obvious choice would be the last one for Elise. But with all Volke had described of her, it'd be as easy as finding her mentor when he did his turn to hide in Hide and Seek; not very. Her own soft sigh nodded upon hearing Bastion's words, an eyebrow raising slightly as she watched Volke fetch for something in his pocket.

Another dagger. Taking it with careful and skilled hands, she glanced down on it, slipping it into an empty sheath soon after. A faint smile showed from under the veil as her head bowed in appreciation. Despite his eccentric attitude, Volke really could spoil her at times. This was a perfect example of how. "Thank you, Volke." Fighting back the urge to run a hand through her short hair, she gave a slow nod. " ... I suppose I'm as ready as I can be then. Let's go."

It was odd and unnerving, knowing the words could very well be right. They may literally just be walking to their deaths and nothing more. But if it was worth the chance to end this all, even if only for a bit, it'd be worth it. Her ankles tensed, ready to follow behind. Her fists clenched as she felt it again ... her shoulder aching. This time, though, she did not grab at it and hold it. Enough was going wrong already; she didn't want to give Volke another thing to think of. Especially when it was more of a nuisance than anything.
 
You begin walking towards the main camp that has been outside Begnion where many of the soldiers are gathered. They seem to be talking, trying to figure out a plan of attack for the city. Most of them are very new to this and seem to be very worrisome. The night falls and many are picked for the watch, you being one of them. Hours pass by uneventfully, though you aren't expecting much. You hear a slight growling off in the darkness, out of the torch's light.
 

The pain seemed intermittent, picking random times it would bother her and others when it'd fade away. Even if it was temporary relief, it was better than nothing to Elise. Her hand instinctively tensed, almost ready to pull her dagger out whilst passing the Begnion soldiers should any of them recognize her ... but none seemed to. Even before the night fell, Elise often found herself mainly around Volke, Soren, Ike, or Shinon as she'd noted they were the ones she felt most .. comfortable around. Maybe because none pushed for answers from her too much; or none that she'd prefer to keep to herself. They were rather easy going though ... why did they have only one archer? Likely the same reason they used to have only actual assassin; costly as hell.

By the time night finally did arrive, she found herself more secluded from her usual preferences of company. She'd been resting against a nearby tree, her eyes closed as if in a meditative-like state. They slowly opened, however, upon hearing the growling and she thought on this. Technically, keeping watch didn't only include humans ... though she doubted many animals - normal or Laguz - would pose too much of a threat. Still ... even the smallest problems could quickly escalate into huge ones. That she had noted from many missions before and her past thus far.

With a nod of her head, Elise stood up and pulled the new dagger out. Keeping it grasped in her hand firmly, she began taking light steps towards the noise, blinking quickly to help her eyes adjust knowing there would be no light soon.
 
Walking out past the light of the torches, you find yourself thankful that your eyes easily adjust to the dark. You continue moving forward. The camp is farther away now, almost as if you're being led away. Finally, you come upon a clearing when the smell hits your nostrils. A metallic scent of copper and iron is your first hint. The second are a pair of glowing red eyes. It steps forward through the darkness before revealing itself fully. The creature appears to be a large black tiger. In it's mouth is a dead soldier wearing Begnion armor. It growls as it looks at you, dropping the kill from it's mouth and revealing a row of dagger long teeth.
 

Blood .... a fight ... Elise easily concluded, though the lack of screams or cries hinted it also was probably over by now or close enough. The iron had given away what the smell belonged to. Never in front of Volke but still Elise had tasted her blood before. All in battle, still, but the she wouldn't blame her mentor for wondering if she'd lost her mind from even letting the liquid flow into her mouth. A part of her had questioned that much before. Ah well .. if she hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to prepare for this as quickly as she had. Elise had no regrets.

An eyebrow raised as the tiger came into view. .... No stripes? All black? ... Laguz? It definitely wasn't the typical animal, hands down. And Laguz had always been uneasy around most Beorc. Navy eyes stared into the crimson ones, her quick thinking trying to work out first. It'd probably been acts like she was just seeing that made Ashera re-awaken. Making the first aggressive move against it would only make her look like a hypocrite when they found the goddess. Somehow, she wouldn't put the possibility of some form of divine sight being able to be used against her.

At the same time, talking sounded about as insane, if not more, as fighting back. It didn't seem to want to ... but she had to try first. If worst came to worst, she wouldn't be fighting for a bloodthirsty desire of sorts but self-defense, a much better motive in her mind. She held her hands up, slowly backing away. "I'm just keeping watch for those I'm with ... not here to harm you." She finally said in a calm, masculine voice. Though she'd never met a Laguz before, she had been told they were as capable of speaking as any Beorc. So if her guess had been right .. it would be able to reply.
 
The tiger began to stalk, circling around 'Xersees'. It either seemed to not understand or care. It's continued movement was that of a hunter ready to strike. It let out another growl that turned into a roar before leaping forward with a great paw. It slashed through the air only barely missing her side. The claws caught some of the cloth and bindings hiding her gender. She now had a midriff. It seemed crazed with bloodlust.
 

Her eyes narrowed as it showed a lack of caring. Very well .. she could play that game too. She'd certainly tried, if nothing else. Her muscles tensed to react a few seconds too late as it caught not only some cloth but the bandages as well, making a low and shocked gasp leave. Her left hand clutched at her chest, keeping what bandages were still wrapped around pressed against her skin, barely hiding her breasts. Her left hand stayed around the new midriff, her right tightly clutching the new blade. She dropped into a stance, waiting for it to jump again. When it did, she'd hold the dagger up and try to catch it's throat while it flew towards or over her.
 
The tiger turned back towards Elise, noting it's miss and growls, unhappy at the outcome. Crouching down, this time to add more power to it's spring, the tiger aims carefully and makes it's leap again. This time, it attempts to land on the target.

Back at camp, an uproar has started as a prisoner has escaped from one of the camps. Volke had graciously accepted to help hunt for him after a bit of bargaining. He was now running around the camp in a perimeter, catching the sounds of the tiger. He turned and headed that direction, breaking into the clearing as it leapt.
 

Elise's focus was too much upon the tiger to note - in any form or fashion - that Volke had just arrived. As the tiger leapt, she inwardly prepared herself. A low "Ngh ... " left as she allowed the tiger to tackle her. Her dagger had been ready though. Once it's head got close, she pulled the blade across it's throat, not caring if she got coated in blood. She'd need a new outfit, no doubt but ... compared to how she could have gotten out of this - in one piece or many - she would prefer to avoid the latter.
 
The blade cuts well across the tiger's neck as it lets out a pained sound before falling atop Elise. Even dead, the large cat was quite heavy and had it not been struck down by that blow, Elise may have been in quite a bit of trouble. Volke had been ready to jump forward had he been needed but seeing otherwise merely waited a few moments before moving forward, helping her to push the large cat off of herself. "That was a good strike, especially for someone who has never dealt with a feral one before." He helped her up, noting that some damage had been caused, even if not the worst it could be.
 

A proud smirk crossed her lips as she watched the blade hit it's mark, though it was short-lived. As gravity aided out in the body falling forward, Elise's eyes widened. "Fuck fuck .... agh!" A wince left as the tiger collapsed upon her. It almost felt like, if she didn't know better, that even in death the thing was hellbent on trying to drag her with it into the afterlife. Her chest, especially near the ribs, abruptly had more pressure than she'd expected or desired upon it. Her left hand began trying to shove it off, a few coughs leaving from her struggles. She almost panicked, fearing that of all things it would be another body that would do her in. Oh, the irony.

Thankfully, she had been followed, found, maybe both as the corpse was moved off of her. They were slight though tinges of crimson still managed to dance across her cheeks. Volke had seen her, at the most vulnerable, while sleeping. But even then, she was under the covers and had a lot more on than she did right then and there so it was ... rather embarrassing for him to find her like this. "Thank you ... " She managed to get out, accepting his hand as she stood up to her feet.

Her back quickly turned as low curses left. She was still infuriated that the cat had actually nearly ruined the bandages completely. Somewhat? Yes but enough had remained upon her body. However, they'd been close to falling, especially since her left hand had accepted Volke's own in order to get up to her feet. Once she felt and realized this, though, her left hand quickly went over her chest again, her right slipping the now bloodstained dagger back into it's sheath. Thank the goddesses that her back was facing Volke, lest he see her cheeks get even more dark in color.

She let the trenchcoat slip off, the tunic quickly following suit. Her hands had been ready, feeling the bandages nearly leave since her fingers had to move off of them in order to get her upper body revealed. But before they could fully leave, she grasped them and pulled -- ensuring they didn't expose her chest. It would be tight due to the amount of bandages being reduced greatly, but it'd still work all the same. She bound them around her breasts, double and triple checking that the knot was secure and able to hold well enough. Only when she was certain did she begin putting her blood stained clothes back on her body.

"Has the rest of the watch been going smoothly?" She finally asked, hoping that when she got back to the camp, all she may need to immediately worry about was getting into a cleaner outfit. While it'd be her preference, Elise knew it'd be too ... convenient for him to say a simple 'Yes'. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't try to hope for the best. Even as she finished putting the clothes back on, Elise kept her back turned to Volke for now. She didn't want to face him ... not until she had to, more of the crimson had faded, or both.
 
"Not really. We've lost a person of interest. We're searching surroundings for him now and judging by this ... " He says, kicking the corpse. "He is around here somewhere. Follow me." Moving back into the brush, Volke began to continue his looking out. Now since Elise had confirmed that there were feral ones out here, he knew that his target was close. When the two finally reached another clearing, they had found who they were looking for.

An old man wearing black robes stood on an island in the middle of the swamp. He had a frantic look about him as he crouched to draw symbols into the ground with his hand.
 

Elise sighed upon hearing the negative reply, her head shaking in annoyance. Of course not .. it'd be too convenient then if the watch was going smoothly. Fuck sakes .... Still, she restrained herself from letting her thoughts pass her lips. Instead, a slow nod left as did a verbal reply, her voice trying to remain as calm as possible all the while. " ... And what exactly am I about to get dragged into now? Whom exactly are we seeking and why do they matter so much?" Regardless of whether he answered or not, she made damn well sure to follow behind, not exactly wanting to get lost of all things. Having been somewhat stripped had been bad enough for one night, she didn't exactly want to press her luck.

Her head tilted at the sight of an elderly mage. Was ... this really him? He didn't appear much though the same could easily be applied to herself, especially with how lithe of a male she looked like. Her hand went upon the new dagger but made no aggressive moves just yet. Though she did note the frantic expression and him beginning to try to make circles. That, alone, made her unsure about wanting to find out what they did. Maybe if she could just make him stop but keep him alive ... it'd suffice, hopefully.

Not wanting to see what the circles were for, she pulled her dagger out and darted forward, aiming to get up close to the man. Enough so she could put her dagger near his neck and encourage him to cease ... but not so much it would connect with his skin. It'd get damn close though .. and remain there in case it was needed. But nothing more without any hints from Volke.
 
Volke made no quick moves. He'd known that despite the frail look of the mage, he was powerful. Izuna had been one of Ashnard's chief advisors and would not be easy to take in. When he saw Elise rush forward, he quickly moved to catch her but was not able to before she had jumped ahead.

Izuna had been preparing his glyphs while he ran. He knew they would send others after him and did not wish to be caught flat footed nor unprepared. He had survived through many things before now such as the war and even Ashnard's outbursts. He would not let a group of 'do-gooders' be the end of him. As he finished his most recent glyph, he looked up to cease Elise leaping at him. "Gahhh! Stay away you brute!" Before she could reach him, a pillar of light shot up from the glyph as a figure leapt from the light. It had the small body of a cat and attempted to knock her over.

Volke moved between her and the newly summoned feline, striking it away as the wizard continued to run. "I'll deal with this. Get him back here."
 

Navy eyes rolled at the pathetic insult. Then again, she supposed not much should have been expected of the old man, either, in terms of verbal insults. Unfortunately, before she could get close enough to make him stop drawing the circles, one activated. She stopped in midrun, trying to give herself a bit of distance as another cat appeared. It wasn't as big as the tiger, thankfully, but this was getting annoying all the same. It hadn't exactly aided out Volke hadn't hinted why this mage was so vital aside from the fact he'd gotten away, so she barely knew exactly whom or what she was dealing with.

Though it appeared to be merely a summoner of sorts, she wouldn't assume anymore. Elise had learned that the hard way by thinking years ago Volke was an easy target to steal from. No sense in making the same error. With nothing more than a quick nod, she jumped forward, trusting Volke to deal with the cat as she broke into a run after the old man. If she had another dagger .... wait. To some degree, she did. And it gave her an idea.

Pulling out her other dagger while putting the new one in her left hand, she began taking careful aim. Moving targets were always a pain .. but certainly not impossible to hit. She waited for the mage to be on a mostly, if not completely, straight run before tossing it for the back of a kneecap. Unless she had to resort to much more than incapacitation, she'd avoid doing any worse. Her eyes remained forward, seeing if the blade made it's mark while she put the new dagger Volke had recently given her back into her right hand again.
 
The cat leapt back at Volke as the two of them exchanged blows. Izuna was still running in a slightly zigzag pattern before breaking into a straight run. As the knife left her hands and sailed towards it's target, Izuna fell to the ground. The knife embedded itself into the back of his leg. He grabbed at it, letting out a cry as the pain shot through him. He turned back and glared. "You little wretch. How dare you do this to me!" He began crawling, although knowing in his mind that it was useless and that he would soon be caught. But he would not give up so easily. As far as he was concerned, he still had one trick up his sleeve although it would be, admittedly, his last trick. Creating another glyph in front of him, this time using his blood to fill some of it.
 

'Xersees' shrugged, a soft but simultaneously firm masculine voice coming out with a reply. "Just following orders from Volke like you are instincts and your desires it appears. Nothing more nor less." Her eyes narrowed as she watched him begin working on yet another glyph. " .... I think not ..... " She murmured, trying to appear in front of him before he finished this one up. The fact he was apparently able to use blood and it may work suggested a couple things; if this was another summon, it'd likely be stronger than a mere cat. And she wouldn't likely have a good time fighting it off, then have to chase him again.
 
'Xersees' was able to make it to the man but not before he completed his work. He grabbed the man moments before a bright light shot up. Izuna began laughing, never a good sign. As Volke found his way to the pair, he looked up, a frown appearing in his eyes. ".... Great, it's a big one .... " There was a roar as the light subsided and before you both standing ten feet tall stood a large, red dragon.
 

As the light hit her eyes again, her right hand quickly shielded her blue eyes, a low wince leaving. Goddamn this man and pulling those tricks off her again ... they were pissing her off royally. Her own frown could be heard in her voice despite her own veil concealing her lips. First thing was first though. Yanking the dagger out from Izuna's leg, she thrust it through the pants cloth, burying the small knife deep into the ground to keep him pinned and prevent him from running. She slowly turned and gazed up at the dragon then to Volke. " ..... Ideas?" She asked in her guised voice, trying to keep calm. Her ankle muscles tensed in case she would have to dodge away soon enough.
 
Volke glares up at the dragon. "Make them small, make them count." Without another word, he rushes forward, charging the dragon. He ducks low as a claw goes over his head. He takes aim for it's leg, cutting it above the knee which seems to annoy it more than anything as it lets out a small growl but turns towards him. He doubles back, sliding past it, as it turns and getting it in the back of the leg on the other side. It's large tail swings but as it is not it's primary weapon sails overhead easily like a clumsily swung blade. It appears that he is leading by example.
 

The word 'small' sounded odd at first. In fact, Elise almost questioned why that over a more immediately vital area. Soon, she began to see for herself why. With how huge it was, though, there wouldn't be many other ways to continue with the suggestion. Not without ... that would be the only way, wouldn't it? She nodded to herself, her legs relaxing as she jumped after the tail swung by.

Keeping her dagger held firmly in her hand, she began climbing up on it's back. This way, Volke could continue to work on the lower body while she did so to the upper. Waiting to get upon it's right shoulder first, she dug the blade as deep as possible in it's skin, yanking it out. Her left held firmly onto any nearby scales, knowing the reaction that would occur soon would no doubt be something along the lines of a lot of movement. She understood perfectly the risks of her actions in climbing up so high and what the possible results could very well lead to. So she would take precautions to prevent the worst case scenarios. All it could take was one fall ... and that very well could do her in. But she didn't intend to allow that to happen so easily. She was too hellbent and determined to die in a stupid manner.
 
A roar came as you stuck between the shoulder blades. It began to thrash about, swinging it's bulk from side to side to dislodge you and the knife. Volke continued his assault from below as he watched you continue yours from above. He began focusing a little higher than the knee this time gain more of the creature's attention. The dragon seemed to be in the same enraged state as the tiger from before. It's mind seemed clouded by rage, the actions it was taking were purely instinct which could definitely be used to the advantage of the calmer heads.

Izuna began to struggle with his pant leg, trying to pull himself free while the others were distracted but to no avail. He began taking an approach much in the way of his summon, struggling like a caged wild animal which in any other situation given the time to view it would be hilarious. Unfortunately, the dragon held most attention now and his actions went the way of a side attraction now.

The sounds of battle seemed to be drawing others this way and even in it's frenzied state, the dragon could sense others coming. Lowering it's head and taking a breath, it released a large gout of flame. The explosion of fire lit the area like a beacon. There would be no question that others would find their way here shortly though it seemed not to care.

The damage was beginning to add up on the drake. It began to move in a strange pattern, slowly losing it's balance as it tried to fight back against the two. It took a swing with it's claw, catching Volke's shoulder as he tumbled to the ground. He winced and from your vantage point, you can see that the attack hit it's mark.
 

Her grip upon the dragon increased as it tried to shake her off. A rather proud smirk crossed her face. The lessons regarding avoiding having emotions take on over seemed to be paying off given it had been one of the very first things Volke hinted to her years ago. She'd thought it stupid at first but now was seeing if anything, it had been a very beneficial thing to learn and take note, to allow herself to seem as emotionless as her mentor usually came off as. Her focus stayed upon the shoulder blades, noting that soon more would join them. Hopefully merely some of the other mercenaries ... or those whom were aligned with them that she'd yet to meet.

Only out of the corner of her eyes did she note Izuna and it made a very low chuckle which no one but the dragon could hear. The sight of him having that sort of reaction to the small blade pinning him was not only amusing but it meant she'd done her job well in applying the correct amount of pressure to the blade. She'd almost worried there hadn't been enough but that concern seemed to be taken care of.

However, the dragon quickly gave her another to think of. Her eyes narrowed, her grip on the hilt of the blade tightening. In truth, the shoulder had not been her original target she'd thought of ... and now she was mentally cursing at herself for not following her own instincts. Goddamnit, Elise this is your biggest disadvantage. Always doubting ... and now look what it's allowed to happen ... She made sure the beast was first steady, snaking her way down the shoulder and down it's arm, landing in it's palm.

She'd bitten on her lower lip from under the veil to keep from crying out Volke's name and ensuring he was okay; though her actions may as well have spelled that without her giving her mentor any verbal hints. Or to anyone else who may arrive in time and was good enough at reading people. Without anymore second thoughts, she thrust the dagger deep into the dead center of the right palm. It was still keeping to the orders of making the marks small and counting while simultaneously making it a bit bigger all the while. With any luck, the pain in an even more direct location - one of the stronger vantage points for it to use it's claws - would make it even less accurate.

And yet, never once had Elise forgotten of herself and where exactly she was. Giving a quick twist to reassure herself enough damage had been done, she began climbing back up, the thought of being crushed not exactly appealing to her very much.
 
Another roar went out as it howled in pain. Falling to the ground, it began to try to roll. Thankfully, the marsh's ground was soft to cushion most of the impact from it but that didn't stop it from attempting again. It was trying to smother you. Torches in the distance signaled others would be coming. From his prone position, Volke throws a dagger towards you. It has a bright red blade and seems to be made of a strange iron.
 

While it rolled, Elise clung on tightly, trying her damnedest to avoid falling off and getting crushed. Mingled in with what impact hit her was that damn pain from the marks ... again! It made her wince lowly, her eyes closing as she desperately tried to block it out. But with the newer vantage point, even Volke would note that at least something was bothering her. Hopefully, however, he'd merely think it to be the dragon. She was really starting to hate these things ... even with having had them upon her shoulder for years, they never once acted up before now and certainly not this much. The pain was making her lightly pant, most of the struggled breaths muffled by the veil.

It was times like this she was truly glad to have copied Volke's ideas and tactics to certain degrees.

Her eyes opened as what sounded like a light metal was shoved towards her. As Elise glanced down, she found yet another blade .. though easily noted the huge difference in what material it seemed to be made from. It was ... she wasn't sure. Foreign but more importantly, probably the key to ending this fight. Volke never did anything without good reasons. Slipping the blade she'd been using back into it's sheath, Elise continued to hold on with her left, trying to keep her grip firm for long enough. The shaking of her weaker hand proved the task was one that was easier said than done.

But it was still able to be accomplished all the same as her right grabbed the crimson knife. Her eyes went up towards the dragon, going for a new target. She'd been in mid-climb when it began to roll and found itself in front of it's stomach. Mustering as much strength as she could, Elise thrust the dagger ... hoping it got close to it's heart if not within it. And before it could toss her off, she took the opportunity to do so herself. It made her wince from the distance she did force herself to fall from though knew it hadn't been nearly as much if she'd done so from upon it's shoulder. As she landed, Elise then rolled backwards away from it, still panting slightly. Though now it was from the snap and cracking sounds she'd heard from her leg. It could wait ... she'd live. As long as she kept moving anyways. If herself or Volke stayed still much longer though ... she doubted that. And she knew her mentor had even less of a desire to meet Death than herself.

Ensuring she landed beside Volke, her left hand gently began going around his waist. If the dragon fell, it'd likely do so forward ... upon them. And if Volke's wound was as bad as she was fearing, his reaction time was slower than usual. She began working on helping him stand or at least move out of the way.
 
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