Vhalar 42 717, Midday
Location: The Underground
She ran as fast and hard as her little legs would allow her too, determined to reach the inner reaches of the underground soon. The tunnels were more complex the deeper she went within, and had began to reek of damp moist air now that she'd thrown herself further within. Finally in need of a moment to catch her breathe, Kayleigh stopped near a lit torch and rested a hand over her chest. Higan was in here somewhere, her sources had confirmed it to be so. Why did he venture so deep into this dreadful place? Was he not aware that criminals and lunatics likely lurked within the shadows?!
No matter. If he were capable enough to use that sword, which she hoped he didn't have to, then he could very well manage by himself for the while. At least until she got to him in time to save him from the crimson robbed man from the other Trial. By the Seven what was this about? Higan's determination and resourcefulness amazed Kayleigh certainly, for a child he certainly had his own way of prolonging the inevitable. Still Kayleigh was going to find him, and bring him back home even if she had to force him to. No longer was she going to let his behavior slide, from then on she felt determined to put her foot down.
"I have to hurry though." She told her self as she looked at the torch and grasped at its base, with it lifted from the wall sconce she held it before her. "I think I'm on the right track so far, if I follow this path I should reach the waterway I was told about." That goes without saying...
if the man's word could be trusted to say the least. She was well aware some weren't just criminals down here, but heretics as well for practicing other beliefs. Some which worshiped unjust Immortals.... and some that plainly worshiped just about anything. False gods, ancient myths, you name it. Those were the crazy ones Kayleigh believed unreliable, but thankfully the man she'd been tipped off from seemed down to earth. "I'm coming Higan!" Kayleigh prayed in silence as she pushed herself onward once more, as she headed deeper and deeper within the Underground.
She'd past a few unsavory men that watched her as she quickly ran by, no spare moment spent hesitating as she kept on going. The more distance between them the better, she didn't need to put herself in a situation she couldn't handle. "I hear voices deeper within, one of them's Higan's." Good! She was making progress then, any Trill now she should find herself within the waterway just as the man described.
"That's not true!" A young voice echoed among the walls of the tunnel as she drew closer and closer.
"Oh but it is! See daddy dearest probably would've told you otherwise." A heavier sounding voice answered as both presences were nearly louder,
Kayleigh had almost reached them finally! "See here; Aelorn probably didn't wanna tell ya, because why should he care what you think?!"
Kayleigh gasped and then entered to see a wide round room with drain channels within, with a tall tanned man with cropped hair in the center of the room. His back was towards Kayleigh as he seemed concentrated on Higan, both had weapons drawn as though they were caught up in a fight. "Higan! Don't be fooled! This guy just wants you to doubt our father!"
"Kayleigh!" Her brother cheered almost eagerly in a sense of relief, as the older sister finally drew her own sword now that she arrived. There were two against one from the looks of it, and this new face seemed credibly skilled as well. His armor was light and leather, which meant he wasn't just a common crook either.
"Out with it!" Kayleigh demanded as she pointed her sword at him. "Who are you and what are you doing here? Why are you trying to manipulate my little brother?!"
"Heh, about time y' showed up." Kayleigh's fiercely determined look turned to one of surprise, had he been expecting her to show as well?? "The guy in the cloak said that you'd likely interfere." Just as he turned his back to Higan the little boy hesitated, and then took the chance to jump after he felt he had initiative. However the roguish thug expected it apparently, and raised his weapon back to block the strike Higan made.
"Higan!" Kayleigh called out as the sound of metal clashed together in the air, surprisingly the little boy held his stance firmly. "No way!" Quickly she collected herself and went in for her own attack, obvious enough for the thug to see but it didn't matter. She didn't intend to harm him after all, just stir him away a little. Relentlessly the thug lashed a boot out at Higan's belly and brought his own blade around. It was a sai, and another one seemed to rest at his hip. Which meant he wasn't actually serious about the fight, at least not just yet anyways. Kayleigh's own one handed sword clashed with a tang as her blade became caught against the hand guard of his.
"Not bad, but still too slow!" He prompted with a quick shove against Kayleigh as she nearly teetered back, yet almost instinctively she caught herself; and managed a one handed cartwheel away from the thug in the process. She dropped the torch in this process but paid little mind to it, as her fighting instincts seemed honed on the thug. "But agile I see. Still not good enough!" With that point made he stepped forward with a thrust of his blade, and Kayleigh barely managed a dodge in time as she felt the blade's edge nearly graze her skin.
"He's fast and light on his feet!" She determined as she raised her sword up from below to try and get a strike in, the thug merely pulled aside to avoid the incoming hit. Lastly Kay attempted on final attack to try and push him back, as she swung her blade around in a rotation from her left side. The flourished spin missed it's target which she'd guessed it would, but at last she now had stance between the thug and her little brother. Heavily she breathed as she kept her eyes locked on the man hard. "Higan!" She called to him without looking. "Stand back, I'll handle this."
"But-"
"No buts!" She demanded. "I'm going to defeat this man and afterwards we're going home."
"No Kayleigh!" Higan lashed out defensively. "I can't! There's something I have to do."
"Then we'll do it together!" Kayleigh argued as she finally turned to face him.
Higan stood there with his eyes to the floor, then with a look into the reflection of his own sword. "I'm sorry Kayleigh, but I just can't." With a sincere apologetic look directed at her he forced a small smile, and then twisted around to proceed alone within the tunnels that lied beyond.
"Higan!" She called out with her hand reached to him, however her carelessness got the best of her. In the moment she dared to try and chase, her opponent got the upper hand and snagged her within his arm. She gasped but didn't scream, not like she would've done before. No. That was the old Kayleigh, too weak and dependable to defend herself. This Kayleigh however wasn't that same one. "Get off!!" She demanded with a stomp at the man's boot tip, the heel of her boot planted firmly within to crush at his toes. He almost seemed unaffected until the pain finally seemed to increase in his foot, which his grip then loosened enough for her to pull his arm up and twist around.
With a steadfast thrust of her knee she felt it crash into his groin without hesitation, her knee also stunned from the impact she made into his leathery armor. Still the impact seemed enough to create a reaction, as the thug sauntered back with his weapon dropped and hands cupped over his manhood. "You bitch!!"
"Tell me," She called out with her sword raised in a downward arc pointed towards him, "who was the robed man?! What did he send you for?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know!!" He groaned with a few heavy breaths, his secondary sai flashed almost instantly as the blade flew through the air. Kayleigh felt it collide with the hand guard of her weapon in Trills, and when she staggered back with surprise she accidentally dropped her own weapon. "Not so tough now, are ya." The thug mused as Kayleigh looked from where her sword landed to her hand, suddenly she knew why she'd managed to lose it. Her hand had, luckily, just been cut by the thrown weapon, yet still in one piece thanks to her sword. Still the sight of her own blood changed things... No longer able to put on the brave face she held, her body stiffened as she locked sight on her wound. It was so... warm and so wet, the feeling of her blood on her skin ultimately unsettled her so she was petrified.
"So much for that." He mused as he picked up his dropped sai and moved in close, Kayleigh felt a hand clasped around her throat next. She was too weak and mentally paralyzed to move, her mind locked around the thought of blood now as she no longer had the will to fight. "I will tell you this, he did mention you were easy pickin's." Kayleigh's eyes looked up at him as he held her by the throat, the tip of his dagger now pressed on the surface of her cheek. "A real shame too; I like it when women like you can actually fight, makes it all the more sweeter when I'm done with them."
"Except you won't lay a hand on her sonny!" An older feminine voice cracked within the the chamber, just as his dagger nearly wandered down to her blouse. Both the thug and Kayleigh looked over to the entrance she'd came from, and there stood Uphrisca herself with arms crossed and face puckered in a sour look.
"Oh really?! What'ya gonna do old cunt, beat me to death with your walking stick?!" He teased with a loud snicker, Kayleigh merely watched her dumbfounded all of a sudden.
"Funny, this 'old cunt' hasn't needed a walking stick so far. Wouldn't be a first time though since I'd have to teach little punks like you a lesson." The taunt seemed to merely antagonize the thug, enough to where he let Kayleigh go and turn his attention fully on Uphrisca. Kayleigh sank to her knees and coughed a few times, forced herself to breathe even as she watched Uphrisca heavily. Was she crazy? Had she followed Kayleigh all the way here?!
"Y'know I'm getting tired of dealing with nosy Farks like you!" He threatened as he started to approach Uphrisca, Kayleigh tried to call out her name but still could only croak at best.
"Hush child. You needn't worry." She'd addressed Kayleigh before she looked to the thug, the woman's eyes lulled to a shut as he drew closer to her. Just as soon as she closed them sounds bubbled throughout the well, as the channels that existed into the area started to pour with water. Then they gushed. Water not only filled but flew throughout the room as tendrils seemed to form and pelt into the thug, his form quickly soaked and cloaked with a layer of water. It was almost as if... the water itself had came to life. Kayleigh sat there in total awe of what she witnessed, unable to figure out what on Idalos Uphrisca was doing. The old peddler merely stood there with her eyes closed, almost in a meditative trance, while the water swirled and trapped the thug within.
He struggled and struggled with the intention to scream out, except only managed to gargle the water as it filled in his lungs. He became desperate and flailed in place, until finally he'd seemed to suffocate where he stood as the water overtook him. When his body quickly shown no sign of life, it fell to the floor as the water proceeded to flow with ease into the channels once more. Uphrisca eased up from her sudden trance and looked to Kayleigh with a soft smile, the torch still barely lit as she lifted from next to her foot. "Well, that was certainly a catastrophe. Could've been worse though." She said as she approached Kayleigh with a hand held out, Kayleigh hesitated at first but semi used the hand to help push herself on her feet. "Did he hurt you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine... Thank you." She managed to answer with her other hand pressed on the wounded one. "I wasn't strong enough after all."
"Not this time around, but if you ask me you're progress is quite astounding dear." Uphrisca commended with her own hands clasped around Kayleigh's.
"Not once did you let fear stop you, you lived ever Trill of the moment with your heart!"
"But Higan... is gone." She somberly argued. Just when she'd came so close to bringing him home, again he managed to slip away in the nick of time.
"Yes. He does seem determined to set out on his own doesn't he. All that time spent lookin' and here he is, not wanting to be found so far."
"I don't understand why though!" Kayleigh interjected. "He seems troubled about something, I think the robed man might've said something to him."
"Robed man? Hmm. Sounds like mischief to me." Uphrisca admitted with a finger curled around her chin. "Let's go back to the inn together Kayleigh,"" She looked to Kayleigh with what appeared to be concern, "Higan's not gonna linger down here anymore. If anything we'll figure out where to start again, and see how that pans out once we tend to your wounds."
"U.. Uphrisca?" Kayleigh looked into the older woman's eyes confused.
"Believe or not I've sort of watched you ever since we arrived, and although your devotion to family truly inspires me... I feel there may be more at work here than just a rebellious young man." Uphrisca explained with a pat on Kay's uninjured hand. "Besides you and I will have much to discuss at a later time. Let's go back and once we're rested we'll stay a little while longer in Ne'haer, Higan can only hide in so many places after all."
Kayleigh's confused expression became one of gratitude as she bowed her head to Uphrisca. "Yes," She almost tearfully agreed, "let's go." Then once everything seemed settled, the two could discuss the recent events that had occurred.
That is... after they spent their time looking for Higan. Together now.
