Head Underwater

[Ashla]

Solo. Named after a Flyleaf song.


A young woman let her feet soak in the cold stream. Often times, someone would say that Raiaera's wilderness was dangerous, to be avoided at all costs. However, despite the fact it was dangerous, the beauty was underrated. The tall trees that were standing for centuries, the yellow grasses and colorful fungi. Ayleth let her feet dangle in the cool, clear waters as she basked in the sun. Her black pants were rolled up. Her boots and steel greaves were right beside her. For the first time in a while, the black haired girl was simply relaxing.

She was not alone. Her oldest companion, a tabby cat named Fireleaf, was napping under the shade the black, leather boots provided. For a moment, Ayleth thought she could go back. Go back to the times where life was so aimless and simple. - Well... her life was still aimless. Simple though, today and then was the difference between day and night. Ayleth used to be a careless teenager. A sixteen year old troublemaker running carelessly across the harsh landscapes of Fallien. Those days though would never come back, and Ayleth knew it.

Ashla Icebreaker, dressed in a bright blue blouse and brown, stained pants, was the reflection she noted in the water. Her bright blue eyes, short hair bouncing off her back. Her reflection was soon replaced though. One eye was dark brown, the other dead blue. Her hair stretched down to her shoulders, her black undershirt sharply contrasting her pale skin. Ayleth lifted her hand to her face and pulled some hair over her brown, almost red looking, eye. She sighed, she even looked different now.

She threw herself onto her back, looking up to enjoy the beautiful sunlight. Fireleaf stretched out, orange fur almost glowing, and walked up to Ayleth... just to lie down on her long hair.

Ayleth scoffed, "Yeah, that's very convenient, Fire'. You just go ahead and do that..."

Surprisingly enough, the cat's ears pricked up and he scattered off. Ayleth pulled herself onto her hands and looked around, knowing Fireleaf did that when trouble was cooking. As the leaves fell from the heavy trees, Ayleth noted a hint - just a hint - of the very thing that made this land so foul... the undead.

[Ashla]

Ayleth pulled her boots on and threw on her leg armor. The scent was getting stronger, strong enough for Fireleaf's fur to stand up like the tall trees of this forest. As a yellow leaf fell on Ayleth's head, a group of four undead skeletons emerged from the forest. Ayleth scowled, reaching for the sword on her belt. The young woman glared at one skeleton in particular... it seemed different than the rest. It still had a beating heart in its white, skeletal work. It had eyes too, eyes made of glass orbs. The monster, despite having no muscle attached to its bones to, seemed to smile. Ayleth's eyes lit up in understanding as it stepped up front... this must have been a death lord.

The death lord crackled, "Why, is this not some poor, little girl? Running rampid in the forests... or are you something more?"

Ayleth drew her damascus hand in a half sword, scowling at those words, "Watch your mouth, fiend!"

The skeleton scoffed, "Why? Words are the greatest weapons after all. You should know, Ashla Icebreaker..."

At the mentioning of her former name, the young woman's blue eye formed into an orb of ice, "H-how do-do you-"

The skeletal figure pointed towards her, "Call me Idelword." Idelword's glass eyes seemed to dim down a shade, "Destroy her!"

[Ashla]

Ayleth was shaken up, but being numb, she was not knocked down. As the three other skeletons raced towards her, swords and spears raised, the half elf snapped into action.

As one with a sword raced towards her, the agile Icebreaker jumped up onto the side a tree trunk, leaping above the undead soldier and coming down from behind, slicing the bare spine with her sword. As the skeletal remains fell into a heap, Ayleth drew her steel dagger and threw it at the next closest undead. The dagger impaled itself into the spine and caused the spear user to also crumble.

Ayleth was caught off guard though when the remaining swordsman almost sliced her in half from behind. In a burst of inhuman speed, she narrowly evaded the blow. The skeleton raised its blade and attempted to crash it down again, but Ayleth was faster. The entire thing suddenly slowed and stopped. For several seconds, the cause was unknown until ice visibly seeped out through the cracks all over the collection of undead bones. Ayleth extended her hand, causing the ice ice to grow even more before she pulled her hand into a clenched fist, causing the skeleton to break apart under pressure.

Ayleth smirked as she looked towards Idelword, raising her blade again.

The skeleton tilted its skull, "Very impressive, Ayleth, you almost are as skilled as your adversaries..."

Ayleth scowled, the people on her "revenge" list popping into her mind. How could this thing read her past like an open book?

The monster, who was completely unarmed, pounded one fist into another, "You were always weak, weren't you? Still weak. You attempted to attack a monster, and they thought you were the one, didn't they?"

Ayleth raced towards him, sword raised, crying out in rage. As she swung her sword, the Hail Storm's Daughter, down, Idelword dodged.

"You are dealing with a death lord, fool!" Ideword scoffed, "Does a simple child like you honestly think she could defeat me?"

Ayleth scowled, raising Hail Storm's Daughter again, "I can sure try..."

[Ashla]

Idelword chuckled, "Try me."

Ayleth bit her lip, pulling out her masterwork steel crosspistol, Parva. She locked, loaded, and pulled the trigger, hoping to get Idelword's spine. The bolt it released hit a rib bone instead. Her opponent looked down at the bolt, then back up at her, "Failure."

Ayleth scowled, tossing her handheld crossbow aside. When she heard it splash in the creek's water an idea formed in her head. She pulled her sword into a low, offensive stance. "You haven't seen me in action..."

The death lord lifted its head high, speaking in its poisonous tone, "But I can look back."

Ayleth hesitated for a moment, swaying from side to side in uncertainty.

"And when I look back," Idelword said, "I see someone hardly worth a challenge."

Ayleth leaped forth, multiple swipes of her weapon at a time meaning to drive the undead back. However, the skeleton, true to his villainous words, could tell what she was trying to do.

The undead stepped aside again, allowing Ayleth to trip over a tree root. As Ayleth came down on the leaf covered ground with a thud, her eyes widened in realisation. He must know my every move! How can he?? I'm numb!

She got up again, pointing her blade at the skeleton that now had its back on the forest. Ayleth muttered a Fallien curse and contemplated her next move. Her cat was obviously unable to help, doing the halloween dance on a dry rock in the middle of the creek. Ayleth was on her own. How could she defeat the guy like this?

[Ashla]

Ayleth blinked, doubt flickering across her stern face. The Icebreaker had all this power... power that Idelword knew all about. Ayleth would have to think outside her own box, make a move even herself did not expect... but what?

Despite the sunlight beaming down, the forest behind was hidden in the dark. Ayleth had nothing covering her top but her undershirt on, leaving the top half of her body defenseless. She knew though that this guy did not attack with physical weapons, leaving even her leg armor useless. Ayleth bent down, her dark pants rippling lightly in in wind. Ayleth removed her steel greaves, allowing for extra spread in this match. The half elf glared at Idelword, "You know Ashla's moves, but what about Ayleth's?"

The young woman steadily walked up to the undead creature, concentrating on the forest behind him. Ayleth was a surprise attacker, pulling out a hidden weapon or abnormal move when the moment counted... but she almost never used the environment around her. The leaves continued to fall around them, landing on the tall grasses of the forest floor. Ayleth clenched her first, now standing right next to Idelword. Behind them, a wall of ice steadily formed. Ayleth already had used a loud of ice to rip an undead swordsman apart, this was all the ice she had left.

Ayleth swung her blade at Idelword, throwing the skeleton back. Idelword was now backed against the wall. Ayleth smirked, causing the ice to explode.

Ayleth rolled out of the way while Idelword was thrown several feet forwards, ice shards flying everywhere. Ayleth was not done yet though, she caused hunks of the shards to form into a single bomb behind her, reusing it to throw Idelword forwards again. The Icebreaker refused to acknowledge her inner exhaustion, having just pushed her Ice Casy to its last limit. She raced up to Idelword, kicking it's spinebone and sending it splashing into the creek.