First Strike (Lori, Súl Iolar)

It had been quite the journey so far. The archer and the artist had to travel from Ammos to the coast, which was quite a ways to travel on foot. However, despite the long travel, Lori had begun to see Sul Iolar as a close friend. She started to put a whole lot of faith in the Marksman of Ammos, especially considering that he was the one leading her to their destination. That was really something, as he could be leading her to her death as far as she knew. . . But she already knew him from when their journey first began, and the woman was well aware that he would never do such a thing. Lori knew that this was a good man.

As the two got closer and closer to the coast, Lori felt more excited as she knew she would get to see what she has been dying to see. The sound of crashing waves got gradually louder, and the ground underfoot became softer in the beginnings of sand. There was still a bit to travel though, and Lori had something else on her mind.

"I think we may be getting close," reported Lori. She was referring to the beach, but she then remembered that she and the Marksman of Ammos would be taking down a handful of trappers. Turning to Dragon Tongue, she asked, "What do you think?" She smiled. Sul Iolar would be the one to know if they were close to their true destination, as Lori was merely following his lead. She thought they were close to the beach, but the camp could be miles away for all she knew.

It had been a long time since Súl and Lori had started their trip, and they were getting close to the coast. The marksman could hear the waves finally as they came close, and he got a whiff of that distinct ocean air. But something about the journey was strange to him. The more time Súl had spent with Lori, the closer as friends they'd become.

It was odd to him, but then the archer started to think about the trappers. They weren't something to take lightly, and he was worried about what would happen if either him or Lori slipped up. They wouldn't like finding the pair messing with their traps. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Lori spoke. The man looked around, listens to the sounds, checked a rough map that he had. "We are. The trappers will probably have some traps on the beach. Easy to hide them there."

Súl then thought to himself. What if Lori had changed her mind during the trip? He had to be sure she was ready. "Are you sure you wanna help me with this?"

When Sul Iolar mentioned the traps, Lori wondered if there was a way to spot them, especially since he mentioned they would be well hidden. Surely it couldn't be that hard? Since dragons are bigger than humans, they would be bigger, and it must be hard for humans to hide something that was bigger than they are. It didn't mean they can't hide it well though, and that made Lori feel anxious. The beach would be very dangerous with all those traps around. The thought almost made Lori frown before she sternly reminded herself to remain positive.

Hearing her travelling companion's question, she grinned at him. "I'm sure." She rubbed her hands together anxiously. Lori wondered if she had made an unwise choice. She had no idea what to do. She was basically a baby bird, all alone in a wide open and dangerous world.

At least she had Sul Iolar with her to let her under his wing for a time. Lori was very thankful for that.

"So," she began, her voice positive as it always was, "do you have a plan?"

Súl smiled a bit as he heard his friend say she was sure about helping him. It made him feel better that Lori really wanted to help. He was also happy to actually have someone with him who wanted to help, and could help.

It was hard to find anyone who would agree to do this for the dragons, and not just for their own gain. But here was Lori. Ready and willing to help him. Then Lori asked if he had a plan. "Well, they may hide them, but we're talking about hiding a chain net from a dragon. Plus, they don't want to set their own traps off, so just look for markers and destroy the triggers."

The set of instructions sounded easy enough. The only problem was that Lori was probably taking this a bit lightly. Maybe she thinks that she could handle it, but in reality, maybe she couldn't. Horrible and cringey scenarios floated into her mind, each repeating the same issue: her failing. Suddenly Lori felt very afraid. What if she did mess up? This was her first time to do this after all. . . She wasn't going to be amazing at it. There was always the chance that she would just do terribly. For now, in her head, that chance seemed very large, and Lori began to feel more and more terrified. She was more worried about disappointing Súl Iolar, especially after all this time. For a reason she didn't know, she wanted to impress him.

The woman nodded. "I'll do my best." Her eyes shifted up to meet the Marksman of Ammos' gaze. "I'm ready whenever you are." Her fingers twitched nervously, and Lori tried to squash her anxiety by attempting to remain positive.

Súl was glad that Lori seemed eager, but he tell that she was nervous, and he couldn't blame her. He thought back to the day he left his mother and freed the dragons she kept. He was terrified about what would happen if he slipped up. The Marksman of Ammos then stopped, and looked over at Lori. "Don't worry, Lori. You'll do fine. Just keep your eyes peeled."

As he finished talking, the marksman pull the cloth over his mouth and nose, and lead Lori to the beach. He looked around, being sure no one was there.

All Lori replied with was a nod, but also gave Súl Iolar a grateful look. He had already done so much for her already. . . This was the least she could do. She was eager to get to work so she could get rid of her anxiety. The more she stood around thinking about it, the more nervous she would get. Best to just get out there and get it over with.

Lori put her hood over her head and followed after Súl. The sight of the beach took her breath away. It was much more beautiful than she thought it would be. . . The sands were beautifully pale, yet at the same time they shone like gold. The water looked like a pool of exquisite sapphires. At the sight, Lori's eyes widened.

It was beautiful.

Yet at the same time, Lori was aware that the site was just as glorious as it was deadly for dragons. She needed to keep an eye out, but she didn't know exactly what she should be looking for. She glanced around, making sure it was clear.

Súl continued to look. Were there any traps here? He then spotted something. A person...WITH A BOW! The archer quickly moved, just avoiding being shot in the head. He grabbed Lori's upper arm, keeping himself between his her and the other archer, a trapper he assumed, and made a run for the dunes. "Move, move, move!"

The moment he got himself and his friend behind a dune, the marksman pulled out his bow and knotted an arrow. "Well. We know there here," the man said with a matter of fact tone.

For a moment, Lori was completely dazed and confused and had no idea why Súl Iolar was in a panic, pulling her along by the arm. She wasn't aware of the men in the woods, and while the Marksman of Ammos was pulling her along she glanced back. Whoever was there must have been hiding well, because she still didn't see them, but she trusted Súl's judgement. She ducked under the sand dune by his side.

Lori peeked out, trying to spot the people Súl said were 'here'. Her first thought was to put her arms up and say "we come in peace", but after she thought that she could have facepalmed. She forgot that she was here to sabotage them, meaning that she totally didn't come in peace. Lori sighed, trying to keep her mind clear.

"We can't stay here," she said, talking fast. She had no idea what she was doing, but thankfully she had enough common sense to say, "They know this place better than we do." Lori was panicking by now, and although her voice was calm, her shoulders began rising and falling briskly as she breathed harder. She glanced at Súl Iolar, but otherwise kept an eye on the woods. She still couldn't see the men, and that was probably because they were farther off. Perhaps if she had only turned around when she was over there, she could have seen them like he did. Heck, she could be looking in the completely wrong direction for all she knew.

"What do we do?" Lori kept glancing around, anxious that one may run up. The foolish girl kept conjuring awful scenarios in her mind, which all consisted of cruel men randomly teleporting behind her and killing both of them before they had the chance to blink. She was in too much panic to keep herself from catastrophizing.

Súl had to think. There had to be a way to get these trappers to show themselves. He finally felt that something was trying to break the skin of his leg. The marksman looked down to see some driftwood. The man then had an idea as he grabbed the piece of wood, and looked at Lori. Ok. I'm going to put the edge of my cloak over this piece of wood, lift it over the dune, and hope that their eyes aren't as good as mine. When they shoot the wood, try to act like they just killed me. It should get'em to come out of cover."

He then looked at Lori, worried if she'd be able to attack these guys if they got too close. He was truly worried what would happen to her if this didn't work. "Lori. If they get too close.... Do you think you're ready to possibly end someone's life? Cause I can't guarantee they'll keep their distance."

Lori thought nervously for a moment. She commanded herself to slow down her breathing, but it didn't work. The woman exhaled, rubbing her hands together as she kept an eye on the woods. Would she really be able to kill someone if they got too close? Everyone is capable of ending another's life, and Lori certainly had a knife to do it with. . . But she was more worried about if she, the positive person she is, who always tries to be nice to everyone, could actually kill someone.

I would have to. . . It's not murder, it's self defense. . . Her blue eyes shifted so she could gaze at Súl Iolar. Sometimes, this world really is kill or be killed.

But what was she talking about? She was getting too ahead of herself. There was always the chance that the trappers would keep their distance, if they so chose. Foolish Lori just needed to stop catastrophizing.

"I. . . I guess I'll have to," said the woman sheepishly. "If it comes to that, I'll do my best. . ." These trappers were bound to be better combatants than she. Could she really hold them off? She had no idea how many there were, and if she did manage to take down one, the others could grab her as well.

Lori just had to calm down and do her best if such an occasion arises.

Súl looked at Lori's face, almost fixated on her eyes. Usually, he thought they looked nice, but right now he could see how nervous, and maybe some fear. He pulled cloth down from his mouth, so Lori could see his whole face. He then placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's good that you're nervous. Means you don't take this lightly. My mentor told me to never take having to kill someone lightly, and that if I ever enjoyed it, I better rethink things. I've never taken it lightly, even with people like them. Be thankful that, from what I can tell, you'll never go as far as enjoying this."

Súl calmly released her shoulder to grab the log, and pull the cloth back over his face. He got ready to inact his plan, looking back at Lori and giving her a kind nod. The man quickly lifted the wood up, his cloak hung on it like the hood he wore, holding it just enough to keep it standing until it was shot.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, all the while Lori watched in panic. She heard her own heartbeat and thought her heart would explode from the anxiety. Her eyes were just quick enough to see the arrow speed towards the driftwood, and for a moment it appeared that the plan would work. . . But then, wind decided to be a jerk, and due to it, Lori could see the arrow speed towards her instead.

Either the arrow was too fast, or Lori was too slow and in shock to try to dodge. The shaft of the deadly thing grazed her cheek, barely missing. . . But the sudden scratch on her face caused Lori to yelp, falling to her knees to duck as her hand raised to the wound. Crimson liquid trickled between her fingers and dripped onto the sand, staining it scarlet. The pain was stinging, but not unbearable. Something buzzed by over their heads, and Lori jumped as a spear thunked between her and Sul Iolar, yet a little ways behind them. She sighed in relief. If that spear had grazed her like the arrow did, it would have been a much more deadly wound. The thought of what could have been was very unnerving.

The woman staggered to her feet, knife in hand. She pointed the blade threateningly in the direction of the approaching men, shivering. "St- Stay back, you heartless dogs!" The blood was still running a little bit down her cheek, but Lori was too afraid to notice. Sul's plan had failed. . . but at least the people were coming out of the trees, so at least they were in sight.

It didn't take long for Súl to notice the plan wouldn't work. More arrows. This guy could see where him and Lori were, plus two more managed to sneak up on them. The man took the driftwood he held and quickly threw it towards the two trappers, then grabbed his bow and knotted the arrow he had placed before in a second. The trapper with a bow made one mistake: he kept firing. Súl knew the direction he was in. He aimed towards it, eyeing the trapper, and let the arrow fly in a mere second-and-a-half. He then grabs another arrow and knots it, turning to the other two. "You better stay back, and keep that chain down."

The marksman then noticed Lori's cheek. It was cut, probably my one of the arrows "You ok?"

In a flash the Marksman of Ammos was on his feet, and Lori was stunned to see how quickly the arrows flew from his bow. When she turned to look at him, she sighed in relief. She was so happy she could hug him, but now wasn't the time. She was just relieved that she didn't have to face these men on her own.

"I- I'm f- fine," she stammered, remembering the wound on her cheek. The stinging pain returned, causing her to grimace. Two trappers were right here. . . Now where was the other. . . ? After locking gazes with Súl Iolar, Lori turned her head to look around for the third trapper. A hidden enemy was a deadly one. She couldn't really see where he was, and there was no way she was going to stray away from her companion to look. It was best they stay together, wasn't it?

Súl looked at the chain wielding trapper, not able to get the other arrow into his bow because the chain wrapped it, then at the swordsman. The marksman seemed kind of surprised that they'd assume he couldn't fight. He had an attack plan though, but he worried about Lori. This was her first real fight, but he had to trust she could at least hold he own.

He just looked at the men, dropping the arrow in his right hand. "I just know which target's worse." He then quickly gripped the Kukri at his right, keeping hold of his in his left, then came forward to strike the trapper, and aimed the odd blade at the mans neck.

All Lori could do was watch in terror as the trappers came closer. The closer they came, the more it seemed Lori shook in her shoes. The knife was still in one hand, small but sharp. The only problem was that Lori didn't know how to use it. . .

The woman squealed like a petty child when a trapper leapt for her, knife in hand. For a brief second she imagined terrible things, all of them ending up with her lifeless on the beach sands. One or two also had Sul Iolar with her corpse, shaking his head in shame before leaving her behind to rot.

But that was all in her mind.

Sul will not do such. He's better than that.

Lori held up her knife to the trapper charging at her, the pointy tip pointed up. Her feet were rooted to the earth in terror. Maybe if the tip was upwards with the trapper coming down on her, then it would stab him. . . or the trapper could be smarter than that. He could be swift and agile and could stop himself in time.

The Marksman of Ammos looked over to Lori, actually surprised to hear the trapper that faced her screaming already. He actual like seeing that she could handle herself, but he was still worried about his friend. Even so, he had to deal with the chain wielder first. Then he felt something wrap his right leg.

Súl gave the chain wielding trapper a slight smile as the chain wrapped around his leg. He quickly kicked his right leg back to pull the man off balance before striking again with his blade, aiming for the trappers neck.

The breath was knocked out of Lori when the man landed on top of her, and all she could say was "Oof!". She was smaller than your average human. . . Much smaller. She was around a foot smaller than the average female was, so having a full-grown man who was much more of a fighter than she was fall on top of her was. . . Breath-taking. Literally.

Luckily, the knife made its mark. Lori couldn't see where it went due to the trapper blocking her view, but she could feel blood near her hand. Yay. Now what was she supposed to do now? She was trapped under this dude. . . She didn't exactly have super strength, so it's not like she could shove him off of her. Lori squirmed, grunting from the strain. "Get off me, you meanie!" She finally discovered powers in her legs and kicked them, hoping to get the trapper off of her. Even though he was in obvious pain, it was still dangerous to have an enemy be so close. He could still find a way to harm her, if he had the willpower to look past his agony.

"Look, Mister," Lori began in a harsh voice. "I'm not going to kill you, but listen to me. Killing dragons is bad. That's a very bad thing to do, and it makes me very sad and disappointed." She took a deep breath. She didn't want to kill him. She already put him in pain, and hearing his screams sent chills to her bones. She didn't want to hurt him anymore. Maybe she can scare him away instead. "So, uh, you better stop trying to hurt me right now, or I'll hurt you with my knife again!"

Súl watched as the man fell. He would have closed his opponent's eyes right then if it wasn't for how Lori's fight was going. She had tried to convince the other trapper to change his ways. He was a bit surprised that she would ever say that in a fight, but the marksman had to give her credit. It could have worked!

But then Súl saw the trapper backhand Lori! For some reason, Súl was really angry about that. Almost the way he'd feel if someone did that to... to El. He quickly dropped his Kukri and grabbed the arrow he had dropped before, drawing it and aiming for the man's head. "Now I just so happen to agree with her, so you better not try it!"