The Ghost from the dust

Soon after the men left, the scar on Ardins back came to life, and Ardin opened his eyes with as gasp, holding his gut, the blood had stopped running from the wounds, he stood back up, feeling holes in him, but they were healing, thanks to the curse. he ran to the house, careful to not be seen, seeing that they thought he was dead, he would use it to his advantage, climbing up onto the roof of the ranch house, he carefully and quietly snuck in a window into an empty bedroom and went to the door, hoping to hear what they were doing to Svenia, or where they would take her.

Svenia had been roughly carried to the ranch house and dumped unceremoniously in hte root cellar. Urdil opened the door soon after, a bowl of water in one hand, and a rag in the other, Tam following behind him, leaving the door leading to the kitchen open. She'd had her feet chained to the wall, heavy irons embedded deep into the rock foundation that the house stood upon. Obviously, she was not the first to be kept prisoner down here. He dipped the rag into the water and with a rough hand, set about washing her face free of tears and dirt. "Ah yes, you will fetch quite the purse," he murmured. Tram chuckled, eying Svenia with what could only be described as a lecherous leer. "Are you a virgin still?" his father asked, and Svenia blushed heavily at the highly personal question. "I- I - why are you doing this!" she cried out, more tears shinning in her eyes. Tam let out a snort of laughter. "If she is a virgin, then that man traveling with her must either be blind, or a eunuch. I'd have taken her to bed, willing or not, the first time I laid eyes on her."
Urdil turned to Tram and glowered at him. "You do know by now that you are not to touch her? The buyers prefer untouched maidens, she'll bring in the highest amount we've had so far." Tram scowled, his eyes racking over the elf for a moment before nodding and turning to head back up the stairs.

Ardin stood at the door, listening, he had the door open a crack, to scan the house. One of the men Walked passed the door, the assassin, opened it quickly and grabbed the man by the mouth, pulling out his blade, and slit his throat before he could react, pulling the limp body into the room and closed the door.

He moved through the house quietly, taking the bow off his back, and unstapping the cover he kept over his arrows so they wouldn't fall out of the quiver. hearing them down stairs he took a seat, picking up a glass of water and took a sip, sitting, facing the door to the cellar. Ardin strung two arrows onto his bow, and aimed it at the door, waiting patiently, his arms making small twitches from the strength of the bow, but the two stone arrow heads stayed aimed at the door.

He smiled as Tram came up the stairs, the look on his face seeing the cloaked man who had just been dead, sitting in the kitchen, aiming a bow at him, before Tram could move another step, Ardin loosened his fingers, letting the arrows fly, sinking deep into Trams gut, both tips cutting out of his back, from the force of the shot, Tram could barely speak, as he dropped to his knees, holding the arrows in his gut, looking up to see the assassin, walking up to him, the bow sitting on the table, now a sharp and lethal blade in his hand, runes carved into it, "There is no honor... in hurting a girl, who is as innocent and pure as the one you stole from me today, he turned the blade, to level with his neck and made a quick swipe through, cutting through his neck, so fast that Trams head remained on the stump of his neck, before his body leaned back and fell down the stairs into the cellar, the head bouncing down the steps, and stopped against the wall.

Udril looked up in shock as the body of his eldest son crashed down the stairs an arrow sticking from his stomach, the head following shortly after, bouncing off the wall and coming to a rest just in front of his foot. "T-Tram?" he gasped as Svenia let out a startled cry, clenching her eyes shut against the sight of the headless body, blood pooling around it. Uldril reached down for the sword at his belt, having felt safe wearing it around the prisoner as he knew that she wouldn't be a match against him. "Whose there!" he called, staying to the side of the steps, not wanting to catch an arrow in his gut as well. He fumbled around with his free hand, grasping a rope and giving a sharp tug. In the room above, a large bell began to ring, a signal for his workers to rush towards the house. "You'll be surrounded in a matter of minutes." He called up to his son's killer. A coward at heart, as most slavers were, he wasn't about to rush up the stairs to avenge his son's death.

Ardin heard the bell and smiled "Ah this would be where i would just kill him and run, but this is a rescue" he began stepping casually down the stairs, "An eye for an eye, blood for blood, tooth for tooth, You should have listened to me and let us pass freely" he would soon be seen comeing down, his sword in his hand, no blood on it being to quick, "You have ruined th lives of families and people, so I ruined yours, your younger son is dead in the barn, and your eldest is dead at your feet, it is time for yours to end for what you have done" he keeps stepping down the steps, and soon caught a glimps of Svenia and the slaver

Svenia let out a gasp and opened her eyes and Uldril grabbed her, pulling her in front of him. Once again, she found a blade held at her throat. Her brown eyes were wide and frightened, and she could feel the sword at her throat shaking, the man in shock, seeing Ardin descend the stairs. "But... you were dead." he gasped fearfully. "Move one step closer, ghost, and I will not hesitate to cut her throat as you did my son." To make his point clear, her grabbed a fistful of Svenia's hair, forcefully yanking her head back so that she was forced to look at the ceiling, her neck bared and open to his blade. She cried out in pain, her fingers futilely trying to loosen his grip on her. Her feet were hobbled by the heavy metal shackles around her slim ankles.

Ardin gave the man a blank look, stareing at Svenia "Seven, How much do you want to live?, how much is life worth to you?" he tapped his blade against his side repeatedly, showing no real attatchment to the elf on his face, giveing a feeling that he didnt care if she lived or died to the man, then he eyed him "I wouldnt ask you that question, for you have already answered it"

Svenia couldn't see the blank look in his eyes, but she could hear the detachment in his voice. "M-My life is in the hands of the goddess," she said softly, and the man pressed his blade harder against her throat, not piercing it yet, but enough to cut her off from saying any more. Uldril could hear the footsteps of his men as they entered the house, and his sword grew steadier, the fear leaving him somewhat as he knew backup was close by. "Well then, if she means nothing to you, might as well get rid of her." the slaver commented, pressing the blade further against her throat, opening up a cut the across her neck, not enough to kill, but enough to start the blood flowing freely, his eyes focused on Ardin's to see what how he would react with the young elves blood running down her neck in sheet, staining the white robes she wore. She let out a choked sound of fear and pain, one hand trying to reach her neck to attempt to heal it, but the sword was still in place, holding the edges of the wound open.

he sighed and raised his hand high in the air, " Look upon me my goddes of life, my godess of death, allow this hand to strike at thy foe, for life shall forever leave his lungs as he comes upon your judgeing door... to face Kelsin, " his eyes were closed, but he had one cracked open enough to watch him, and as soon as the man would look at his hand, he would through his blade at his hand that held the sword, to cut it off, and would just miss Svenia, letting his hand be a distraction

Gasped as Uldril howled in pain as Ardin's sword cut through his hand cleanly, it and the sword clattering to the floor. Svenia pushed away from him as best she could, falling to the floor, her hands pressed to her neck, as three other men rushed down the stairs, pausing as they took in the scene before him, their boss having lost his hand, and the man they had seen killed and disposed of not an hour before. One raised a crossbow before the other two could react, his finger hitting the trigger, the bolt slicing through the air towards Ardin, on a path towards his chest.

Ardin quickly turned and took the bolt in his back, covering Svenia incase any came for her, than slammed himself against Uldril, with his arm against his neck lifting him off the ground, strangling him, pulling his sword out of the wall that it embedded into. stabbing it into the mans gut and slided out the side, makeing it impossible to live, than dropped the man to the ground to die, "If any of you with to share his fate, come at me, but know this, I give you this one chance to live, and you will stand down" with his words he pulled out the other sword and held them both, ready to slice through them. waiting for their answer

At first, Svenia was too frightened to be able to heal herself, but she forced herself to clear her mind, and finally the familiar blue glow lit her fingers the deep cut in her throat closing slowly, until the bleeding came to a halt. The men gasped at Ardin's quickness, looking from their dying boss, who lay whimpering on the floor for a few moments before expiring, to the man in black. They hesitated, and the one with the crossbow lowered the weapon to his side. The other followed his lead, but one of the others decided to try his luck, raising his glaive and swiping it through the air at the man's chest, hoping that the longer reach of the pole weapon would keep the ex assassin from being able to attack effectually.

Ardin stepped to the side quickly and swiped one blade up, cutting the tip of the glaive off then split down the wooden shaft with the Se-aker blade, showing them how increadbly sharp it was, as it cut through the wood like butter. his eyes stared into the mans eyes, fear would creep into his mind, spinng around cutting the blade out of the shaft and slideing through his neck and would end up standing back to back with them and, looking at ther others, with both blades held out from his sides steady and strong, then the man began to fall, and his head fell from his shoulder. "I ask again," his Silver eyes stareing at them.

The man watched with horror, unable to move, as Ardin cut through the shaft of his glaive. He barely felt the cut to his neck, so swiftly did it come, and so sharp was the blade. His head toppled to the ground, the eyes still wide with shock, the body swiftly falling after it. The other two hastily dropped their weapons, the sound of them clattering to the floor breaking the silence of the room. "We yield!" one of them, the one closest to Ardin, exclaimed, fear sweat bathing his temple in the poor light of the basement. "Take whatever you want, we will not stop you."

Frowned at them, "Get out of my sight, if i see you again..... I will kill you" he watched them run off leaving their weapons,on the stairs, he sheathed his swords and walked over to Svenia, looking down at her. and picked her up, holding her in his arms as he carried her up the stairs, the tip of the bolt sticking out of him, blood dripping from the point, from being shot from so close. he grabbed his bow off the table and slung it, not saying a word to her, letting her have time to think, as he carried her out of the house, to the barn, his shirt now soaked with blood, and most of it fresh from the arrow comeing out of his chest. he put her on a horse then jumped up behind her, and moved the horse out of the barn and onto the road. one arm around her incase she passed out and began to fall.

Sooner down the road she would feel his body against her back, limp against it. and his arm was resting on her lap

She was too much in shock to say anything, her body trembling as she realized just how close to death she had come tonight, and worse, what she might have experienced had Ardin not come back for her. Tears sprung to her eyes as they rode down the road, but she quickly lost the concern for herself as she felt him, limp against her. "A-Ardin?" she whispered, her voice quavering, and getting no response. She awkwardly took the reins from his limp hands, trying to lead the horse to the side. It took her several minutes, having never ridden but once or twice. She finally got the horse the side, and to a halt, and turned in the saddle, trying to move carefully so as not to let him fall. She saw the tip of the bolt sticking out of his chest near his left shoulder, and gasped. "Ardin..." she shook his other shoulder, trying to waken him. "You have to get down so I can tend to you," she whispered, knowing that they would both fall from the horses back if she attempted to remove the bolt where they sat.

Ardin remained limp, his eyes closed, and he wasnt breathing, as she shook him he would slowly slide off the horse, his weight too much for Svenia at the angle she was sitting, and he dropped to the ground, with a thump, dead from blood loss, in the moon light she would see a trail of blood on the horses back and down its side as he had been bleeding the whole way they had been travelling,

She tried to hold him up as he began to slide off the horse, but his weight was far greater than hers, and only succeed in falling off the horse as well, to land next to him. The horse shifted his weight and neighed uncomfortably. Svenia got up swiftly, and grabbed the horses reins, whispering to it in elvish to calm it, though she was frightened on the large size of the horse. The scent of blood on them both had it uneasy, and she looked around for something to tie the reins to, but found nothing in the dark desert. She slowly patted the horses neck, waiting for it to calm before she dropped the reins and rushed back to Ardin's side, rolling him onto his front so that she could grip the bloodied shaft of the bolt. She knew that it was too far through him to be able to pull it out, so she gripped the fletching and broke the shaft, pushing the remains deeper, until she could grip it from the front and yank it out. She took a deep breath, and pressed her fingers to the wound on his chest first, closing that and turning him over to work on the entrance wound.

Ardin laid there in silents for a while after she was done, then slowly opened his eyes with a groan, and rubbed the now scarred skin on his chest there the bolt had been. he slowly turned his head and looked at Svenia. "Hey..... how are you, whats a young girl like yourself doing in this dessert by yourself, you should know there are bandits and slavers out here" he smiled weakly not enough energy to get up. "Are you okay Seven?"

She gave him a feeble smile and nodded, unconsciously reaching up to touch the faint thin scar that now marred the flesh of her neck. "I.. I'm fine," she spoke softly, exhaustion written plainly on her face. "Thank you, for coming back for me." she went to run her face, only to stop halfway, realizing her hands were a bloody mess, both with his blood and her own. She wiped her hands as best she could on the skirt of her robe, as it was already ruined by the blood from her neck. "We should probably try to make it to that town they spoke of," she said, though she would have liked nothing better than to curl up and sleep. They were not out of danger yet, for though they had a mount now, they had no water or food and were back in the desert.

Ardin nodded and tried to get up only falling back on his back, he looked at her and read her face " Listen girl and listen well, it is time to relax and you are safe now" he held his hand out for hers, his hand ruff and firm, yet gentle, "Things happen for a reason, this was a lesson, to show you the true nature of this world, what it has become... this is the beginning of your journey, if you wish to continue, learn all you can, I will protect you if you wish me too, for i believe there was a reason i found you, before you can save a world, you must see every part of it, and must see and experience death" he would grip her hand "You have seen these now, it is up to you if you wish to continue"

She hesitated for a long while, staring down at the ground, at her bloodstained robes. The Temple had not prepared her for what she would find outside its safe doors. Part of her wanted to run back there, to hide herself among the safe walls and never come out again. But the more pragmatic part of her knew that she couldn't do that. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, expelling it slowly. "I realize now that I was sheltered from so much, but you are right, there is a reason the gods brought us together. I will not falter in the path that was set before me. I will continue on." she said firmly.

Ardin nodded, and grunted "Than rest, you need it, I am sorry you had to suffer like that, but i couldnt move until i was certain i could save you" he closed his eyes and held his chest "I knew they were bad, I knew they could have been slavers, but it was up to you, and we had no choice, I didnt wish to make blood shed in your presence"

She swallowed heavily. "I... I guess that one thing I have learned is to trust your instincts over mine," she said lowly, and once again reached up to touch her neck. "At least we saved others from falling into their trap." she commented quietly. "I wonder how many lives they had already ruined." Thinking for a moment, she looked away, towards the horizon where the sky remained dark, the stars occasionally peaking out of their cloud cover. "Do you think we stopped them for good?" she asked. "Or will those that are left continue with the slave trade?"

Ardin chuckled with a grin "This is how the new world works Svenia, Everyone only cares about money, now that Uldrid and his men are gone, another group with profit and rise up to take their place, we cant stop it, humans are greedy bastards. who only care about makeing a quick buck". He went quiet for a moment, looking at the stars, "The ruined the world I created"