View Full Version : Permafrost
Solo.
The woman was dressed in black, but was white as snow. She had a lot of motivation, but little influence. She had been trying so hard, but her pregnancy prevented her from putting her all into gutting Lye and the rest of those Crimson Hand pigs. Ashla Rose Icebreaker felt a burning hatred towards them. They destroyed her country, they vanquished her life.
Ashla wanted an end to this.
She stepped a field of grass, resting her hands on her slowly growing belly. It was a beautiful sunny day out, the world around her was full of life... yet Ashla felt dead.
It was a dreadful and painful life she had to endure, she just wanted it to go away...
When will this end? she asked herself, When will this all just vanish?
She had hope though. A small child was developing inside her. Ashla was starting a family. She had no idea what her child looked like, or even whether it was a boy or girl! However, Ashla was confident her baby was beautiful. Would this child be able to liberate her? Could a small bundle bring her back to life?
She hoped it would.
From the grassy fields into a dreary forest. The young Icebreaker pulled her black hood over her head before entering. Pale skin shot out compared to black clothes and dark hair.
The girl's weapons rattled as she walked into the shade of large, ancient trees. Raiaera was a magnificent world all on its own. Wicked trees, tangled roots... Beautiful, multi-colored, blossoming flowers. Ashla stepped through the clearest path available, listening fondly to an exotic bird singing within this canopy.
She wrapped her arms around her stomach and looked down to it, "I hope you enjoy music," she whispered to the little one inside, "Your daddy is a grand musician. Also, I myself am I pretty nice singer. So even if you don't like it, suck it up! You're still going to be listening to it."
She chuckled as she looked back up to the narrow path she was on. Her husband to be and her baby's father entered her mind. Julius Tabor.
Julius, Ashla thought desperately, Where are you? The Icebreaker sighed as she continued walking, small drafts of sunlight bursting in and lightning the would be cold forest up. Even the dust flying about was so beautiful. Ashla crossed her arms though. How long had it been? Three, four months? They did meet up briefly at an... interesting... event. Aside that though they'd not seen each other at all. Ashla worried day and night, just hoping they could find each other before she gave birth to their daughter or son. Unfortunately, she hadn't heard from him in little over a month. That beautiful man, his brown locks and marvellous eyes. She desperately wanted him again. She needed him... and so did his child.
They'd parted ways temporarily. They'd agreed to meet up a year from now in the same place they left off. They'd parted ways to protect each other. Protect each other from the group that vanquished Ashla's life: the Order of the Crimson Hand.
She'd come here to escape, and she did. Walking around in a shadowy but lively forest did wonders for a girl in need of silence. However, all of that walking could leave one tired - especially if they were carrying a child.
Icebreaker found a place to rest at the trunk of a twisty and humongous tree. The red and yellow mushrooms growing on it, combined with the canopy of leaves a long way up, provided the perfect shelter. Ashla rested against the cool bark, one hand on the trunk and the other still on her stomach.
The young woman blinked, resting her head back. She sighed, thoughts of her troubles swarming in her head like a plague of locusts.
She froze a portion of the tree over with ice, "I have to keep going..." She still felt positive she couldn't. She let her arm slide from the smooth ice to the dirt and grasses on the ground. The dark soil felt frozen like permafrost. The woman dug her hand into the soil and closed her eyes. Only... one... seco... ...
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"
*Crack!*
The muffled sound of a stick cracking awoke Ashla from her sumbler.
Blue eyes shot open. The sky above was pink, little sunlight getting through. Ashla pulled herself up, one hand still on her swollen stomach, and glanced from left to right.
Nothing.
The girl bit her lip. Years out on her own taught her not only to not talk to strangers, but to run from them... She placed her free hand on the hilt of her broadsword. She slowly turned and left the tree.
She slowly walked back on the path she came from, hoping to get out of this forest before dark. The entire time, she searched through the shrubbery for anything that dare attack her and her child.
Fewer trees, and she could see the yellow fields of grassland ahead. Ashla stopped for a moment and took her hand off her hilt for a moment, placing it on her waist.
That one moment almost costed her, she saw a flash at the corner of her eyes. With her speed and agility, Ashla had to only step back to avoid a kunei that had been tossed at her head. She gasped and instantly pulled her sword out. She glanced into the shrubbery and noted the shadow of a man in the shadows. The Icebreaker scoffed, an ideal place for an assassin to hide.
She held her sword defensively across her stomach, "Peek-a-boo. I see you." "Peek-a-boo??" This mothering stuff is getting to my head...
The leaves of green shrubbery rustled and crunched like autumn leaves. He vanished.
"Can you see me now, Icebreaker?"
"Oh," Ashla called to new opponent, "Is this a game of hide and seek?"
A sickly voice called from behind her, "Yes..."
At the sound of footsteps against overgrown plants, Ashla stepped to the right to avoid another dagger. She turned around though to only see some plant leaves rustled. Ashla smirked, "Well if that's the case, sneaky guy, guess who's 'it?"
With that, the ice powered girl pulled out her crosspistol Parvabow and crocked it. She let herself hold it down, not meaning to blow her plains by aimlessly pointing it at nothing.
"Who are you?" Ashla called.
The man did not reply... unless you count a sudden cut in the cheek a reply.
Ashla didn't even see him, but somehow he managed to score a blow on her cheek. Ashla gasped and pulled her clenched hand up to her cheek. Her eyes turned to the meadow up ahead. Realizing an open space was a better place to fight, she dashed away.
She still didn't reach her top speed, not at all planning on tripping over a root or harming her baby, but she made it to the tall grasses pretty quickly.
The meadow felt romantic. White sunflower pedals blew in the breeze, tall grasses swayed peacefully. This was hardly the place for a battle. Now, it was dark out. Crickets chirped under a half full moon. Ashla turned around to face her opponent. She had heard his footsteps before and now turned to face him. She was briefly shocked, but wasn't surprised either...
He wore a similar symbol on his shoulder. Ashla's eyes narrowed. The only thing that wasn't black on him was the symbol of...
... "The Order of the Crimson Hand." The Icebreaker glared at him, "Came to do your master's dirty work I see..."
"Yeah," the green-eyed man smirked, "And about our game... it's tag now."
The assassin bolted towards her with an iron scimitar in his hand. Ashla put her Parvabow away, placing two hands on her sword. She dodged the man's swing. The girl smiled confidently when she saw how sloppy his blind swing was.
His next move made her want to scream though.
Out of all the places he could have aimed for, the man's next swing was aimed at Ashla's stomach. Awfully close too! Ashla barely found the time to step back. Her eyes changed from blue to ice...
A moment after she could detect her own movements, Ashla gasped to see her opponent holding a bloodied rip. He screamed of pain, on his knees and in the dirt.
Ashla gasped and looked at her now crimson colored blade. This... she questioned, is this the love of a mother?
She glanced down at the wounded man. He glared up at her, "Already the overprotective mommy, aren't 'ya?"
Ashla still felt shocked at her outburst of aggression. After several moments of starring, her eyes narrowed again. "Game has changed, pal..."
Ashla was too tired and enraged to think properly. She walked up to the helpless man and bent down to him. She grabbed his chin and gritted her teeth, "Where are you guys?"
The man only grimaced.
Ashla slapped him before placing her hand back, "Where did you bugs crawl from!?!"
Now he stammered. "I-I-I-"
Ashla grabbed his face, placed her palm over his face, "Tell me now! Or else! ... I will punish you."
Widened eyes narrowed, "I will not betray the trust of my master... many have turned against him, b-but not me."
Ashla's eyes widened a bit, Lye's own army had turned against him? Now this was interesting... the man's next words shot her back though, "... I will never talk to you."
The cold Icebreaker growled, "Your last words..."
She called upon her family's abilities to bring this man pain. Particle Restriction, the ability to freeze any objects over, she used it on his entire face.
~~~
Joya Mes, a partner of Ange Dool, was searching. His partner had slipped off upon finding intel on the person they were to kill, the one woman opponent against the Crimson Hand he served. Since finding intel on Icebreaker's location, and finding out rumors she was starting a group of her own, overconfident and foolish Ange ran off on his own. And now, Joya found him.
He was obviously dead. Several wounds from a blade, the nastiest in his rip. He was beaten and bruised on the face... and he had trickles of ice sticking to him.
He looked over Ange's dead body, "Enough information intel... I'm reporting all this to Lye."
Quentin Boone
11-21-14, 10:46 PM
BlueGhostOfSeaside receives:
1232 EXP
132 GP
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