Private - Hiding or Lost? Both? [P]

The forest’s across Brisshal were some of the most serene, calm and beautiful areas of the game world. The same however, could not be said for the character currently crossing through that forest. Taiga crashed through the thick undergrowth like a bull in a china shop. All the small animals that hid in the branches had taken cover from all the noise he was creating with each stomping foot fall. Only the occasional curse under her breath as a foot came in contact with a thick bog and she had to retrieve it from the sticky mud.

Every so often, she’d stop at a clearing and look left to right and then turn and take a different direction, always swapping which way she was travelling. Her hand lay deep in her pockets and a hood was pulled over her heads as the rain began to fall through the canopy of leaves above, however, this only created more curses from under the tiny girl’s breath. Drops of rain caught on the bowl-like leaves and dripped slowly down to the brush below. Taiga’s long, striped tiger tail, tied around her waist so it didn’t drag into the mire below and her ears perpetually twitched from the noises around her. Taiga was on edge as if hiding from something...

@Solaria

 

Having lost some health just recently due to her own recklessness, Solaria was taking a relaxing walk in hopes of soothing her spirits, even if she'd already healed herself from the scratches failing to climb one of the trees caused her. Feeling like a child again, she couldn't help looking around in wonder- the forests of Brisshal almost felt like a safari in a zoo, and the animals were so real it made her feel like she was on a field trip! Then again, when was the last time she went to the zoo?

She'd noticed what looked like a tiger at one point, small but fluffy. Was it an infant lost from it's mother? Wait, no...When were there tigers in this forest? It wasn't seeming to notice her, so Solaria took this as a sign it was either a bug in the system or just a weird new addition.

She continued to walk with a smile, until she came upon a clearing with a feline-like girl, whose ears and tail reminded her of the strange little kit from before. "I wonder...Say, did you get separated from your little one? I saw a tiger around that ways." She pointed rather haphazardly in the distant woods. "You seem to be looking for something, so I figured the cub was likely. It's cute, with similar coloration and such as you. Am I right?"

 

Taiga continued onward, keeping her head down staring at the undergrowth at her feet. The rain had slowed somewhat but it was still falling enough that it dripped annoyingly down her hood and onto her face. As she moved into a clearing, someone else crossed her path. Momentarily, she looked up and saw an unfamiliar face. The girl had long green hair and a bright smile plastered across her face. Quite the opposite of Taiga who thought it criminal to be that happy. The girl stopped Taiga with a shocking question.

Taiga stopped in her tracks, turning to look into the eyes of the newcomer. “Did you say… ‘a tiger’. About so big?” She asked, holding her hands up to about the size of a loaf of bread. Her face turned slightly more pale but her eyes went wide. She began to speak under her breath more to herself than to the girl. “Dammit, dammit, dammit. I thought I got a bit more distance than that.” She grumbled to herself, slowly growing louder until her rage broke. Taiga slammed her fist against a trunk of a nearby tree. “Damn mongrel. First, it won’t leave me alone and now you’ve broken my hand.” It wasn’t actually broken but the impact with the tree had caused some pain to run through her tiny extremities.

 

"Yeah, that's the one!" She chimed, surprised she'd gotten it right. At least, she was sure she was untl the girl cursed the creature, frustration on her tongue. "W-Wait, you mean you're trying to get away from it...? Why is it following you? You're not under attack by tigers, are you!?"

Well, it was possible in a way- after all, a humanoid with similar ears and tail might be seen as a threat to an animal population. But that tiger had seemed pretty harmless! A lot more harmless than the tree the girl punched, at least.

Holding a hand out to the fractured hand, Solaria's energetic movements became a bit softer. "Let me take care of that for you. It shouldn't hurt too much longer." Hand glowing softly, her skills in healing were showing through the gentle light that worked to mend the virtual cells with fair speed. "It's lucky I'm proficient in Illumancy, huh? Still, you shouldn't go punching trees when they're not the ones you're mad at. It's only you who get's hurt...And any creatures hiding in the tree that might get aggravated by the vibrations."

 

Taiga couldn’t help but clench as her hand was lightly taken in the girl’s soft hand. A fresh surge of pain shot up her arm as she did so. “D-Dammit,” she muttered under her breath. However, quite suddenly, all of the pain in her hand lessened substantially. It was as if someone was drawing all the pain away down her fingers and out of her fingertips. The girl’s magic had fixed her that quickly, she supposed that it was somewhat impressive. “Well... None of this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for that mongrel tiger following me.”

After a second, Taiga couldn’t help but snatch her hand back from the girl. She flexed it twice and held it out. “Good as new...” She turned away from the girl as if to walk away, stepped forward a few steps and then looked back. Taiga opened her mouth as if to say something to the girl, perhaps a thank you but nothing came out. Closing her mouth again, she turned and walked towards the clearing exit.

An odd sound greeted Taiga as she was about to leave the clearing. It was like a blender on overdrive. A terrible buzzing that filled the entire clearing, reverberating off the trees and back to the middle of the wooded area. It flew down from a high up branch on the very tree that Taiga had punched. Two extended wings beating against the bark. A long stinger sticking out menacingly at Taiga. Small, compound eyes darting from Taiga to the other girl. “You better be ready for a fight, girl,” she spat, a gleam of excitement in her eye.

 

Solaria smiled as the girl blamed the little tiger from before for the injury. She could kind of see that making sense, even if it wasn't likely the entire cause. "I'm kind of jealous. I might have to try to steal it from you. Not that it'd be stealing if you don't want it following you anyway. Too bad I don't have Beast Taming skills..." She did have an interest in it, after all. It'd be nice to have a feline in game since she couldn't offline!

As the hornets came, the green haired elf grinned, excitement clear in her rather childishly shining eyes. Naturally impulsive, it wasn't rare for Solaria to get in a fight- but it was rare for her to be quite so excited. To her, this was a great opportunity. It was a way to train, and even more fun, test out one of her new toys.

She drew out a sword, swiftly taken out of it's sheath. As if crafted for her old self, the lightweight katana was easy to hold. "Hehe, I just bought this yesterday. Looks like this is gonna be a fun way to break it in." Of course, she guaranteed herself she wouldn't break it, all the while slashing with one hand at the giant pest. "Time to exterminate a pain in the neck, huh Uchigatana?" Hopefully, that wouldn't turn out to be literal anytime soon- but with her luck, it just might.

 

“You want that, Mongrel? Take it. I don’t care at all,” she spat at the girl, thinking of that bothersome tiger. All it did was follow her excited, wagging its tail like some kind of canine even though it was a kitten. What a pain it was - the damn thing.

As the swarm rose up into the air over them and circled, Taiga watched as the other girl, grinning, drew out a sword from a sheath. The thin curved blade glinted as if it was brand new, unused and fresh. “Hmm. Not bad,” she admitted, seeing the beautiful sword, that must have cost some money.

Smirking herself, Taiga drew out her own weapons of choice, two long wooden blades with carved and wrapped leather handles. The blades of her own swords were dented and cut up the length of the wood. “I assume you know how to use that thing?” Taiga spat at the girl, looking from the blade and up to her cheerful, cutesy face. “Otherwise, you’ll be killed.”

The hornets drew in like a cloud of insectoid smoke. They’re long stingers preparing themselves to stick into both of the girls. A terrible buzzing noise exuded by the wings of the swarm. Taiga however couldn’t help but be excited for the oncoming storm.

 

The girl's grin refused to falter as she looked at the gleam in her temporary partner in crime's eyes. "I may not look it, but I've been using swords well before this place. And compared to the ones I once did wield..." She rushed into an attack, slashing a small group with one, concise movement.

"...Uchigatana is the best partner I've met yet."

As the swarm seemed to grow, she realized that what had been one bothersome bug became a rather large mob. "Good thing we're fast, 'cause we're gonna need the speed and then some. Keep your wits about you... And slice!" With one more slash, she got another grouping. But she could only wonder, how many were left?

 

Taiga couldn’t help but smirk, a devilish look in her eyes. The look that could only be obtained in the heat of battle, when its just you and your will, your heart and your brain, pushing you. Clenching the wrapped handles of her sword’s tightly, she looked over to the girl. She was smiling and she had a similar gleam in her eye. Somehow it was frustrating, seeing that look in her eye. That was her look. She loved that thrill, the thrill of battle. Just mindlessly destroying anything that got in her way, no matter the cost, the injury. It was just easier to fight.

“Is that so,” Taiga said, smirking. A trained expert in swords? Is that what she’s saying. I like the sound of that. Taiga watched as the girl launched into an attack, swinging the long thin blade against the swarm. “Not too bad, I guess.”

Taiga stepped back, one, two, three steps. Breathed in and then ran full pelt past the girl. “Now it’s my turn!” She swung up with both swords and sliced into the hoard, all she could see was stingers, wings and eyes but it was exhilarating. “Yeah, come get some! I’m not afraid of you, you jerks!”

 

As Taiga rushed in, Solaria lifted her hand and lowered her sword if only for a moment, chanting and letting a small glow cover the edges of the twin blades before her. Illumancy had it's perks, she'd come to realize. Not only could it heal, but it could add to the damage done by weapons if she used it right as well! Buffing up her partner with some holy damage to strike their pesky playmates, she used the same chant on herself before lifting her sword once more.

"I can't count them all, but with this, we're sure to get rid of them faster. I mean, hornets are far from holy! They're the darkest of all creatures, especially the kingdom of insects!" She knew this because of her classes. After all, hornets were a common cause of injury and being sent to the hospital, sadly.

As the swarm was slowly dissolved by their wits and brawn, Solaria smiled as they were down to just a few left. "I think we're finally finishing them. I was beginning to think they'd never go away!"

 

All of a sudden, both of Taiga’s blades began to glow with an odd light. The light shimmered over the scene and lit up the dark, rain swept forest with a fairy-light glimmer. “Well, now. I guess you do have a use after all,” Taiga said, coldly. Turning back to the battle, she stared out at the swarm hovering over them in a cloud of points and wings.

Without turning to properly thank the girl, she ran forward, holding the swords behind her so they left a sweeping light trail behind them. She pulled them up and sliced cleanly through two more of the pesky hornets. “Come get some you jerks, I’m not afraid of you, bring it on!” She screamed into the darkness as three more flew at her. Their stingers sticking into the blades but she didn't care. A simple sweep knocked them away and back into the air, seeming somewhat dazed. A roar was all she could muster as she charged into battle, again.

It was growing darker and darker as both the night and oncoming storm swept in. Long jagged strikes of lightning lit up the battlefield momentarily and then faded the sky back to a deep black. For a moment, Taiga watched the girl, fighting her own battle with the hornets only a few meters away from her. She was pretty decent with a sword, she supposed. Shrugging, she looked up as a hornet swooped down onto her. A jolt of pain shot through her, she looked down to see a long stinger stuck into her arm. “D-Dammit. I was careless but no more! You jerks are dead now. I will end all of you.” Taiga began to swipe wildly with her one remaining good arm, the other merely dangling at her side. “Die, die, die,” she called up to the so-called ‘insect jerks’.

 

The battle moved on until it was a small number, but she began to notice things slowing down. Worried, Solaria opted to see why things were moving faster on her side of the playing field, turning her head to see the long stinger stuck in Taiga's arm. The felis would likely be in great pain from that, wouldn't she? Yet she was still showing so much energy!

She may not have known the girl's name yet- something that had suddenly caught her attention and irritated her- but she knew she needed help. As she began to chant a healing spell, she slashed her sword. This time, the swipe of her sword wasn't at the hornets! Her Uchigatana was swung to cut as much of the stinger off as possible, healing spell imbued in it's blade to heal the remainder of the wound.

"You can't fight single handed if you're a twin blade. That should help make you more mobile, so let's kick their butts for hurting you in the first place, shall we?"

 

“You jerks are going to die now.” Taiga continued swiping with the one good hand. It was far less effective than both but she had do so something. She needed revenge, revenge, revenge. Against this stupid world and all the stupid monsters in it. They hurt her, she’d hurt them twice as much. “Die! All of you,” she screamed.

Suddenly the other girl jumped forward and swung her sword. Not at the hornets, the blade cut through the stinger in he hand. “What the hell do you think you're doi– ” Taiga cut herself off as again, the pain in her hand subsided. Whatever she had done, It was healing the remainder of the wound.

Taiga looked up, her eyes – thin slits. A snarl cutting across on her face as the anger rose again. “I will end all of you,” she jumped forward and swung both of her swords in an x-shape slice. The tips of the two wooden blades clashed together but they cut through the few remaining insects.

As the final insects fell into a heap, Taiga turned and replaced her swords into her belt. Without a word, she made to walk away from the girl. After a second, she turned and looked at the green-haired girl who has twice helped her in the short space time they had known each-other. “T-Thanks. I guess.”

For a few minutes, she simply looked at the girl, not knowing what else to say. Her hands clenched into tiny fists.

 

The girl's struggle to show gratitude was oddly familiar to the elf. Why was that? She couldn't seem to place it. Still, she'd worked hard and gave her thanks. Without thinking, Solaria could only attempt to give the girl a pat on the shoulder. "It's my job as a nurse, you know. Your health is important, whether in a game or in the real world. Don't forget that."

With swift swing of her own, she returned her katana back into its' sheath. The stench of the hornets' corpses was a bit disheveling, but she was more than happy to take in a deep whiff of it. "It sure is nice to get rid of pests, isn't it?" Her mind returned to the tiger from earlier.

"Speaking of...Shall we come up with a method of getting rid of your little stalker? I'd be happy to help. I'm not good at planning, but I can help after the fact, at least."

 

Taiga grumpily stepped on one of the dead hornets as if to prove her power, her dominance and the fact that was still alive. “These stupid thing irritate me so damn much. Hate, hate, hate.”

Quite suddenly, the girl whom she still didn’t know the name of, stretched out her arm and patted her on the shoulder. Taiga couldn’t help but shudder at the random human contact. She then began to explain how she was a nurse.

“Wait, you’re a nurse.” Taiga said remarking on her ability to heal so readily even in the game world. Although, she thought about the girls attitude. “You’re a nurse? I can’t imagine it.” The girl is so ditsy, she’d probably drop a needle in herself or something. But whatever, like it really mattered. The danger had passed, the insect jerks are dead. Who cares about anything anymore.

Taiga again made to walk away, her hands pressed deep into her pockets. Once more she stopped and looked back to the girl. “You’re alright, I guess.”

Before she was to disappear, she decided perhaps against her better judgement to tie up a few loose ends. One, “Oh, that thing. It’s long gone now. But it’ll be back sooner or later…” She turned her head though to check the little thing wasn’t nearby. “It turns up when you least expect it.”

Two, “The name is Taiga.”