The Forgotten Secrets of Ruild. [Closed to Black Shadow]

(Moderator Note: Am using: ~Level 5~ for this battle and pre-Elthas Wraith thingy yeah. Thanks for understanding. Closed to Black Shadow. One slight edit: I'm having Elthas using both arms for this battle hope that's okay.)

The Forest of Ruild (Concordia) was an expanse of various pine and spruce trees.

Some oaks were present as well.

Most of Ruild was explored by that epoch of Althanas's expanding history.

However, there were portions of Ruild that were still uncharted.

It was that section of Ruild, the shadowy depths of it, where Elthas currently found himself.

He wasn't sure what drew him to that place of power...only that something had.

He had a camp erected that was the only tell-tale sign he was there.

The camp was simple really, a crafted fire pit, with logs feeding a camp fire.

There was a cooking spittle that was turning a dead boar, or some other similar wild beast.

The meat was well cooked and would smell delicious to those of the population who fancied themselves carnivores.

Several cooking utensils and other such pottery and tools were present as well.

Elthas was clearly a civilized man who knew the luxuries of civilization and used it's tools to his advantage.

He'd been in the wild lands for several days now.

It was turning into early evening that night in question.

Elthas stood atop the old ruins. The ancient Elves of the time period presumably built it, there were Elvish Hieroglyphs present all over the stone monument. There were also old Elvish statues and totems present. Those were statues of the old pagan deities that the Elves of that time period worshiped. A religion unique to the Elves of Ruild. It was one of the many precursors to The Thayne codex religion. Elthas was a learned man, and was visiting the depths of Ruild to study it's secrets and learn the history of his folks. He was completely and utterly alone, save for the creatures of Ruild's depths.

Elthas was studying a totem of particular interest to him.

It was a depiction of a Lesser Thayne referred to by the old scholars simply as Cool.

Elthas studied the depiction, memorizing the information that was present on the statue itself.

There were glyphs and runes all over the monument statue, and several other Lesser Thaynes depicted near the structure itself. Elthas guessed that the structure was well over a thousand years old. As Elthas studied the statue of Cool, he carefully memorized the visage. The old ruins were a structure created by the Elves of a thousand years ago. There were secrets, information, and power for him there.

Elthas smoked the cannibus herb from an elegant smoking pipe.

It had a mahogany tincture to it.

Embers from the tip of the smoking pipe produced a strong, but very sweet, smelling smoke.

The smoking pipe was tilted at a slight angle.

Elthas stood in a relaxed posture, his shirt completely off.

He was half-naked, but he was certain that would not bother any potential opponent that would arrive.

His pants were simple gentleman's slacks, dark grey in colour.

They were somewhat baggy.

He wore a fancy utility belt, and the buckle had the markings of a fancy B on it.

The b was the Elvish rune for Belthasar in the modern syntax of the clan's name.

It was his family's signet.

Elthas was very defined physically, and his muscles bulged with his movement.

He was not like the traditional Elves of Althanas lore.

His long and pointy ears were ever present, and he had a long mane of silver coloured hair.

The nocturnal breeze carried his hair and swirled gently with the breeze.

Elthas was not certain why he was drawn to the statue of Cool.

He had once forsaken the Thaynehood of his people, but his life had come back around and he'd slowly grown back to accepting the destiny that was placed before him.

He knew the names of the Thayne now, at least the more prominent ones and some of the lesser Thaynes.

Cool had always fascinated him.

Elthas studied the statue of Cool, considering his current place very carefully. His eyes were narrowed as he studied the glyphs and symbols, committing everything to his memory. As he stood there, he considered the situation at hand. He stood where the forefathers of his enigmatic tribe once stood. A long time ago, Elthas had made a choice and had forsaken the old ways. In order to honour the old alliances between Men and Elves. Elthas once saved a man named Seth Terrentius, and his life had changed as a result. He'd never regretted that choice. That choice was what brought him back to face his past. As he studied the statue of Cool, he found himself reflecting on his life. He wasn't sure why at the time, but the past haunted him and made him cling to his current present. And as a indirect result, his future.

Funny...what had happened to the gentle artist that once was a member of The Trading Company?

What had happened to the original days of dreaming of a brighter tomorrow?

As Elthas pondered those matters...

(^Enter here)

The shadows of this place suited the dark archer, his clothing blending into the surroundings. The air here was warm and humid, causing the tight cloth of his garments to cling to his skin. Torches illuminated small pockets of the area, darkness consuming the rest. This place sent chill through the spine of any who entered. There was an occasional breeze, adding to the already eerie senses. Statues and carvings were everywhere, spreading out from one center piece.

Black Shadow stepped carefully, not to waken any unwanted creatures. The silence pierced his ears. Something was just not right here. He continued to stalk though the darkness, hoping to escape the terrifying area as soon as possible. A deep breath was almost impossible to obtain as the air was so heavy. Dust from the decaying wildlife filled the air. Out of all his missions, this had to be Shadow's worst.

Where was he anyway, the dark archer did not know, nor did he ever wish to return. He pushed on, hoping to escape this prison soon. It was not long before he noticed a figure, moving among the light of the fires. Black Shadow notched an arrow, ready to attack if need be. Slow movements and careful steps were the key to stealth, that and darkness. He did not want trouble, but if it was to come to a fight, the archer would not hesitate.

His eyes did not come off the figure, watching its every move, waiting for it to make its move. Shadow lost focus of his surroundings for one mere second, a terrible mistake. the sound of a cracking twig rang through the area. Shadow looked own at his feet, growling in his head at what he had just done. When he looked back up, the figure was staring directly at him.

Shoot.

Elthas was in a near meditative state, smoking the cannibus herb when the loud sound echoed through the grove like clearing.

It was the snapping of a twig, which signaled that he was no longer alone.

Elthas carefully took a pull of the smoking pipe a little moment longer, then placed it on the ground.

He was a careful man, a man of strategy and tactics.

He lowered himself to put the pipe on the ground for a moment, by his gear. Then, he gathered his weapons. They were an enchanted pair of Delyn daggers. His eyes narrowed as he realized that he was not alone. As he realized that, he sprung into action. And at the same time, something made him hesitate. This is The Citadel, I must remember the original reason I am here. He turned towards the statue of Cool one more moment, and then saw where his opponent was. The man was in some sort of a stealth phase, it was difficult to see him. But he could smell the man's sweat.

Elthas's blue eyes studied the location he assumed that the stranger was located.

The snapping of the twig confirmed Elthas's primary suspicion.

He was no longer alone.

Elthas gripped his Delyn daggers very carefully, tightly with both hands.

Rotating the daggers as a matter of habit, the daggers seemed to reflect the moonlight, star light, and the camp fires.

"I know you're there." Elthas said calmly.

He was afraid though, deep down. And that fear would allow him to perhaps survive the encounter with destiny. Elthas activated his Scorpion Sting Stance and donning the attributes of the scorpion. His body even mimicked what a scorpion might fight like, he held his daggers different one arm extended like the length of a scorpion's stinging tail. Elthas carefully crouched down in a half-kneeling position. His body tensed, he wore no armor. The battle would be brutal indeed. Elthas moved towards the position where he heard the twig snap. He had a rough estimate in his head where the twig had snapped, but there was no way to be one hundred percetnt certain. Elthas continued to study the environment around him. The whatever that snapped the twig was out there, and he wasn't certain what it even was. Out here, there are many dangers, remember that. I can't assume it's my Citadel opponent... Elthas thought to himself and moved carefully towards the general sound of the twig snapping.

He'd seen something, but he wasn't sure what that something was.

Could be my mind playing tricks on me... Elthas thought to himself.

Though he'd seen something in Black Shadow's general direction, there was no way he could be certain what that something even was.

His senses were accurate, but he was not trained to discover well stealthed persons.

So, without even realizing what was there, Elthas walked right passed Black Shadow.

He kept himself crouched, daggers at the ready and senses primed.

His face was serious and he studied his environment very carefully for any signs that someone, or, something was there.

The point was, he knew he was not alone.

Black Shadow froze, hoping what he now knew was a man would miss him. Not one muscle in the archer's body twitched. He controlled his breaths, keeping his stomach from moving. The man moved, taking a stance that Shadow found familiar, but where from he did not know. Two daggers were held in the figure's hands, and he was obviously ready to fight.

Shadow, hoping to evade the attacker, slowly stepped to his side, careful not to snap another twig. He watched his opponent as the man moved towards his previous position. To his luck, the man passed by the Dark Archer, not noticing his movement.

Now is my only chance, Shadow thought, pulling the string of his bow. The darkness seemed to swallow his opponent from view. He knew that if he was to fire his bow now, he would surely miss.

In an attempt to draw the target into the light, Black shadow kicked a rock and watched it roll next to a statue. Take the bait, he said to himself drawing his bowstring again.

A rock skipped off to somewhere behind him.

Elthas immediately turned his attention towards where he heard the click, click clicking sound of the rock.

He also heard something else...but wasn't terribly sure about it.

He heard something that felt like a deep breathing...a breath right across the back of his neck.

He couldn't be entirely certain but he definitely felt as if someone was there.

Elthas eyed the rock that had moved for a long moment, then decided to take a gamble.

Something moved that rock in some way or another... Elthas thought to himself.

Elthas looked at the spot where the rock had settled.

From the distance, he judged that it had come from some position relatively close by to his own.

There's somebody here.... Elthas thought to himself.

He decided he was going to play his stalker's game.

There's no way of knowing what's out here....until it reveals itself...

So he pretended to be caught off guard by the kicked off rock.

He shot a second glance over in the direction that the small rock had landed in.

Then he tensed his muscles up, priming them for any incoming attack in whatever form they might appear.

He was ready to face whatever was hidden there, just beyond his current sensory capacity....

Black Shadow waited patiently for his target to come into the light. He held his bowstring tight, ready to fire when the opponent was in view. The darkness that engulfed the area seemed to make everything appear farther away than he expected.

It was but a few seconds before Black Shadow could see the outline of something move, and it moved slowly. Footsteps from the opponent came from the same silhouette, confirming what Black Shadow had thought. Moving behind one of the pillars, out into the open was someone, sword drawn, ready to fight. Black Shadow took a deep breath, and when he saw the chest of the man slowly enter the light his arrow sailed quickly towards its target.

With the new bow that he had very little practice with, Black Shadow watched his arrow go where he did not intend. Instead of piercing the heart and ending the battle before it would begin, the arrow would fly far past the man, possibly giving him a small scratch along his cheek, but nothing more. It disappeared just as quickly as it came into view. There was the sound of a dull thud off in the distance, which came to a surprise to Black Shadow, as such a noise usually meant he had hit some flesh of some sort.

He knew at this point that his opponent would know his position, and in an attempt to get out from sight again, Black shadow moved quickly to his left, circling around the patch of light. A deep groan came again from the direction of his arrow, and suddenly the ground began to shake.

What did I hit?

When the ground began to gently quake in protest to the battle...Elthas was slightly off balance.

Despite that...something happened. Elthas noticed a shine out the corner of his eyes and heard a whistle from an arrow head. He moved at the last minute, but there was a sickening ker-thunking sound as the arrow and it's shaft pierced Elthas's flesh. It struck him in the shoulder, not directly in his chest..but relatively impaling his left deltoid region. Further, the force of the impact caused Elthas to immediately and instinctively take a couple of steps backwards. It wasn't enough to knock him on the ground, Elthas was a big man, but it did cause him to loose some ground. The arrow's sharply bladed tip pierced his flesh and dug in deep. Elthas growled at that point. There IS someone out there...I'm being hunted...Thaynes damn it... Elthas grabbed at his shoulder where the arrow had struck. His Elven blood began to pour out from the injury. Elthas looked down towards where he'd been struck and growled again. His left arm was now useless...since the arrow had struck through flesh and bone and tore through tendons and nerves. They almost got me...just a few more inches would have been my heart...DAMN. Elthas thought to himself. He limped off towards his left, trying to get himself together.

I can't see whatever is attacking me...but I know it is out there.

His left arm had grown numb and hung like dead weight. The Elf was built in a very muscular sort of fashion, contrary to most Elves that were built usually lithe and for agility. Elthas was built for strength, and it was a matter that had saved him multiple times in his long life. Elthas's eyes shot around the field around him trying to spot his enemy. Why am I being hunted...? Elthas thought to himself. His shoulder region hurt from where the arrow had pierced him. He grabbed at it for a few moments, but did not attempt to pull it out.

Instead, he decided to leave it in there so that it could be removed later...if he survived the onslaught.

Elthas steadied himself but was feeling the early effects of blood loss. Though the arrow had not pierced any major veins or anything, and had dealt non-lethal damage...the arrow still hurt. Blood was still flowing from the injury. And Elthas was rapidly getting pissed off. Elthas drew his dagger, one of his arms was useless. So all he could do to defend himself was wield one dagger. In the dark, it would be hard to see the color of Elthas's blood. That would be the instant mark revealing that he was an Elf aside from the long and pointy ears. And slender facial features. Elthas carefully stood in place and attempted to concentrate to see with his advanced sensory range. He could not see through advanced stealth...but he could see other things. Like the shine of metal or a glow of armor...he needed to see something, anything... that would reveal whatever was hunting him.

At that point he felt the small ground shake. That's right...we're on hallowed ground still... Elthas's blood had already dripped down to the ground. Perhaps the spilled magical blood was what had caused the reaction of the environment. Forgive me Cool...I just wanted to do the research in peace. Looks like that will not be the case anymore... Elthas thought to himself as he stood in place concentrating. He'd been able to judge a general direction of where the arrow had been fired from. But that was all the clues he had at that point. He would have to really concentrate to target his opponent and get where he needed to be.

The trial had already begun...

Black Shadow continued to move silently and quickly as to not be seen or heard. The terrain for what he could tell was flat and there were nothing to trip and fall over. Or so he thought. One step where his foot caught a downed log and a big thud spread across the area, obviously revealing the location of the dark archer.

His hands quickly ran across the ground, searching desperately for his Bladesinger Bow. Every movement of his hand further confirmed that Black Shadow was in fact there, and he began to panic as he could not find it. His eyes, though they could not see well, began to look back and forth, hoping to catch a glint of the metallic bowstrings. Eventually a gold color caught his eye, but to his horror it was not in the dark, but rather in the light, roughly 25 yards from his opponent.

Shoot! Shadow thought as he knew that he had to either go for the bow or pull out his sword. He lacked time to think though, and in a split second decision, Black Shadow got to his feet and charged to his bow, hoping he would make it in time. His hand shot to his sword resting on his side, hoping he would not have to use it. The sword was not his favorite weapon.

At that point...

Elthas's eyes saw the shine of several weapons. He narrowed his eyes and saw an item on the ground, a few paces away...that had familiar markings. Elthas had always been knowledgeable of the various factions of Althanas. He knew what Blade Singer markings were...he'd once been a Bard. Elthas's eyes narrowed a bit more as he saw the strange bow on the ground. Elthas growled with anger. The target is aligned to the Blade Singers...or at least was at some point. Why are they attacking me like this...without honour...? Elthas decided at that point to focus.

He knew that battle was imminent and he went to grab one of his delyn daggers. He was only able to grab one of them as he was already handicapped with one arm completely rendered useless. Elthas carefully looked at his dagger and decided a gamble. The target will continue to attempt to snipe me with that bow. I won't allow him to do that... At that point, Elthas jumped forward, trying to focus and fight despite the pain. The pain burned from the point of impact where the arrow still jutted out of his body. He made his way towards the bow, and jumped forward. He did not intend to steal it...he intended to intercept the target. They will attempt to retrieve their weapon. I won't let them. Due to the nature of the opponent's stealth...Elthas could not readily see him without spotting or guessing other elements would come into play.

As he readied his strong dagger...he rotated his weapon and opted to stand in front of the blade singer bow. He suddenly attempted to stab forward...he was purely guessing at that point. If I catch them it will be a big step forward. I will chop them to fucking pieces at that point...

Elthas rotated his dagger and stabbed forward in an attempt to catch his opponent off guard...if it all connected.

All he could do was hope and pray he knicked SOMETHING with his sharp dagger...

Quote:

---

~Actions~
1-Attempted to intercept Black Shadow before he got back to his bow...well hopefully.
2-Attempted to guess where Black Shadow would attempt to make a grab at his bow with a Wild Dagger slash of sorts.

---

Black Shadow noticed his opponent do exactly what he expected, attempt to reach his bow before he made it. He ripped his sword from its sheath, swinging upwards towards his opponent's weapon. The loud clash of steel against steel rang though the area, echoing throughout the dark, bouncing off the strange stone pillars spread throughout the darkness.

Black Shadow thought his block attempt was successful until the sharp pain of a weapon digging into his shoulder pierced his thoughts. The feel of his scarlet blood dripping down his arm brought a terrible memory back to him, one he did not want to remember.

"Kill him! Kill him now! Kill kill kill!" The voices pierced his ears. "End him! Do it! He doesn't stand a chance!" This moment would change him forever. Black shadow ran, trying to keep from getting hit. His instincts took over as he ran, dodging the slashes of the swords and arrows. One sword made its mark though, slicing across his neck. Blood trickled down his throat...

He tried to scream out of anger, out of pain, but his cut chords would not allow a sound to come from his mouth. His instincts took over at this point, sending him into an almost rampage state. He brought his left hand up, grabbing as his opponent's arm! His leg came up almost at the same time, sent for a kick at this man's chest.

He caught something, he wasn't sure what but it was something cause there was blood dripping down his dagger.

Then a powerful kick sent the Elf backwards on the ground and rolling.

Elthas immediately felt a welt building up on his chest where Black Shadow kicked him in full force. He landed in a low crouching position, still clutching his elegant dagger. Elthas looked up at Black Shadow who was heavily bleeding. Did I catch him...after all...? Elthas had never been too confident in his own skill level. Consistent losses in The Citadel leagues weighed heavily on his heart and soul, playing with his desire to even continue to fight. But this battle...it was different.

Black Shadow, the man before him, was out to kill Elthas. There was no reasoning, no logic, no motive. It was simply a no-holds barred duel to the death. As Elthas sat there on the ground looking at Black Shadow for a long moment a thought occurred to him. I've been playing by his rules... And something inside of Elthas, deep inside of him snapped. Black Shadow held no honour, so there was no need for Elthas to honour him. Elthas coughed blood quickly from the strong kick to his chest. Then, he gritted his teeth and decided that there was no running away this time. It was do or die time.

Elthas held his dagger in his hand that worked.

Blood freely poured from the arrow that still jutted through his flesh.

Elthas looked at Black Shadow. "You've got my attention now. Whoever you are." Elthas said coldly. He placed the dagger in his hip scabbard for a moment, and did something remarkable. He took his strong hands and broke the shaft of the arrow so that it fell to the ground. After yanking the front part of the shaft out of his shoulder, he could still feel the arrow deep in him, he drew his dagger once more.

Elthas looked at Black Shadow, but notably, there was something in Elthas's eyes that was not there before.

Where previously lurked fear and anguish, and nothing but pain, there was something present there. Something monstrous and dark. Something evil, evil that lurked in the hearts of men. Elthas possessed the eyes of man who had completely lost all grip of sanity. He started to walk towards Black Shadow at that point. "Allow me to return the favour." Elthas said in a cold whisper, barely audible. His face was twisted in a completely wide smile, despite the pain he surely felt. He walked slowly towards Black Shadow, injured as the man was.

Elthas felt his heart beating loudly in his throat.

The expression on his face was that of someone who had completely accepted his fate and intended to take the enemy with him.

And so, Elthas walked slowly towards Black Shadow. About a few inches away from Black Shadow, Elthas suddenly broke into a full speed sprint. He readied his dagger, and then attempted an attack at Black Shadow. The target? Elthas aimed carefully for Black Shadow's stomach and swung with an under handed strike attempt. The blade reflected the moonlight, and there was no more need to hold back.

"Victims. Aren't we all?" Elthas said as he attacked back at the man who stood before him...

Black Shadow watched his opponent fall back from his kick, a direct hit against the Elthas' chest. Without thought he readied his weapon, the sword raised just in front of his face. The steel caught the small amount of light in the area. Black Shadow waited, he has always been a more defensive player with the sword, watching his opponent's every move. The pain in his arm was great, almost taking his attention away, but he would not allow it, his eyes would remain on Elthas until this battle was over.

Elthas rose, looking directly into the covered eyes of Black Shadow. He appeared afraid before but now it was different. He wanted Black Shadow dead, and a man driven crazy for blood could be a blessing or could be a curse.

Black Shadow tightened his grip on his sword, ready for any impact that would come his way. He would not fall here, he would not end here. He couldn't. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and then exhaled.

"Daddy!" rang through Black Shadow's head, a voice so familiar to him he would never forget in his lifetime... His daughter, Espoir. It was clear as a bell, ringing in his head. No this was not his imagination, it couldn't be.

Black Shadow's eyes flew open, the dagger being thrust up. No he could not, would not let this be what brought his end. With a swing more powerful than anything he has ever done Black Shadow brought his sword down, aimed not at the dagger itself, but the arms of his opponent.

Elthas had to make every second count.

He saw his opponent swing that damned sword with all of his might...

The man is strong. But I have to gamble here. Still controlling his forward momentum, Elthas decided to take a tremendously huge risk. Elthas knew he was considerably larger than his opponent was, but his foe was much stronger. Instead of allowing Black Shadow the chance to further dictate the outcome of the battle, Elthas committed to a decisive action. He suddenly ran forward at best speed, dagger already buried in Black Shadow, and attempted a counter-tackle to Black Shadow's massive swing.

It was an incredible gamble.

But if the tackle paid off, he would have ideally thrown Black Shadow entirely off balance.

Further, Elthas aimed to push his dagger deeper in Black Shadow as he ran forward. There were no more moments for flowery words, or speeches. It was do or die time. Elthas executed the tackle, and used the dead weight of his injured arm to attempt to balance himself as he dove at Black Shadow. He would try to knock the assassin completely off his feet if his maneuver proved true. He prayed to Lady Y'edda the wild, that his gamble would pay off. If not, Elthas knew he was doomed the longer he prolonged the battle.

Black Shadow knew at this point that he could not defeat his opponent, the dagger causing immense amounts of blood loss as he was tackled. If he could not win this fight he would certainly not be the only one to die. Black Shadow held onto his sword as him and Elthas hit the ground, a deep thud ringing out around them. his mind raced, thinking about his options. What could he do.

As the pain of the dagger jutting out of his chest grew stronger he began to think back on his daughter, Espoir. He heard her voice as clear as day, only moments ago. She was afraid, she was crying, and she wanted him back. He could smell her hair in that moment, he could see her bright blue eyes. Then tears came to them as she began to cry.

Anger surged through Black Shadow. He had to do something. Black Shadow grabbed his opponent around his back, making sure he could not move. Then with his right arm he moved his sword in for an attack, thrusting it deep into Elthas' back, thought him completely, and into his own body. He spat blood at his enemies face, knowing well that this was his end.

He closed his eyes, thinking about all that he had accomplished in his life, bringing an end to a long war, making a lifelong friend, and saving a little orphan baby and taking her in. He hoped that she would be proud of him.

With one final breath, Black Shadow tightened his grip on his sword and pulled it up his opponents back. His hand released the sword and fell lifelessly to the ground, the air in his lungs expelled, and his life was over.

The last few moments of the battle became a mad blur, then Elthas was surrounded by the darkness.

He wasn't entirely certain what had happened...

Only that when he came to...he awoke in The Citadel infirmary area. Elthas blinked a few times and growled in pain he was hurt...bad. What in the Tular Plains just happened...? Elthas wondered he saw some pretty nurses and healer folks in the infirmary area. There were many other patients in the chamber getting treated by the gathered workers. Elthas had no idea how much time had passed since the battle with Black Shadow. He only knew that the whole situation had been fucked.

Elthas growled one more time and the nurse working on him placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You were gone from us for a long time Mr. Belthasar." The kind nurse said carefully.

"Was I dead?" He asked.

"Briefly. The man you fought was also nearly lost in the battle. You gave a Haidia of a show." She said with a soft smile.

Elthas blinked a few times and sighed. "Why did it even happen like that...?" He wondered out loud.

"Don't worry about it...sometimes things just happen. But hopefully next time, you won't be caught so off guard." She suggested.

"I don't think there will be a next time after that." Elthas said with pain coursing through his body...

"They all say that after events like that...they all come back. You lot have Warriors in your hearts and souls." She explained. "But either way, Mr. Belthasar...just rest. You're in good hands." She said calmly.

And Elthas sunk his head back int he comfortable pillow...the darkness claimed him once more and he was fast asleep.

~The End~

Title of Thread: The Forgotten Secrets of Ruild
No Judgement

Rewards:

Elthas Belthasar receives:
590 EXP
90 GP


Black Shadow receives:
770 EXP
80 GP

Cost of 0 AP.