Twin Terrors [Artemis & Rayne]

Artemis held her makeshift torch as a bat.  As Rayne ran past, she readied herself for a fight.  Listening as the quiet, distant stomps became thunderous booms.  She gripped the rose and tensed up,  ready for whatever was on the other side of this tree.

    The first troll ran close to the tree,  just within range.  She swung the flail as hard as she could,  hoping to send it flying again.  The rose headed weapon whirred through the air,  smoke billowing from the golden orange flames.  As the flail hit the troll in the stomach,  knocking all the air from its lungs, the flames licked at the troll, igniting the filthy fabric it wore and singeing the area it hit.  The troll stumbled back, patting the flames on its belly, already too late to do anything useful.  The greasy rags quickly combusted, leaving the troll writhing and screaming shrilly as it fell victim to the ravenous conflagration.  Artemis took a step back ready for the second troll to come around either side of the tree.  Feeling the heat radiating off the tip of her weapon.  

    Though she was little prepared as the troll burst through the tree, sending it and her flying.  The blazing flail landing in and igniting a nearby tree,  very narrowly missing Rayne's head.  The loose hilt dangling in front of her.

Turning around to see what the orc was up to, the last thing that Rayne expected to see was her standing there defiantly holding a torch. The gunslinger caught her breath beside the tree she'd come up to and watched with just the barest edge of hope as the first of the trolls came barreling toward them both. Just as Rayne had expected, they were surprisingly fast; their long legs ate up the ground quickly and in no time it was upon the orc.

With one ferocious swing the orc let loose with her weapon - which was now on fire - and hit the troll. The attack only staggered the monster, but the small flickering flames caught quickly on the troll and in the space of an instant it had dropped on the ground yelling and trying futilely to put out the fire which ate at its body hungrily. Rayne's jaw practically dropped at the sight.

It had been such a quick simple idea that it would have been easy to dismiss it. She could only hope that the fire would eat the troll faster than it could regenerate itself and that it would not be able to heal the damage that the fire did. Rayne didn't have long to think on the subject because the second troll was hot on the trail of the first, swinging at the orc and sending her flying a second time.

Rayne winced at the blow and ducked instinctively to avoid the flail which sailed in her direction. The weapon quickly ignited the tree, and her first thought was to grab the weapon but... She had no proficiency with it at all. In fact she wasn't even sure she could use it. Thinking fast however she grabbed a branch from the tree that had caught fire and grimly set her sights on the remaining troll.

The troll was stalking toward the orc, clearly meaning to beat the poor woman while she was down, and Rayne was having none of that. As quickly as her feet could carry her, she sprinted across the ground to where the troll was, yelling at the beast and throwing the makeshift torch at its lumbering form. The branch easily hit the troll, catching in its body of twigs and leaves.

Like the troll before it this monster caught fire just as swiftly, and its attention went from the orc girl laying where she'd been tossed by the attack to the flames which swiftly enveloped its form. Rayne couldn't help but stare in astonishment at how fast it was eaten alive by the flickering light. It barely had time for one last lingering howl before it collapsed into a merry bonfire which Rayne stepped back from. Just in case.

"Hey..." Rayne moved toward the orc, uncertain of how hurt she was. "You still alive?"

Stars swirled through Artemis's vision as Rayne approached.  Barely conscious, she stirred, not capable of standing.  

   Rayne stood over her and said something incomprehensible.  Artemis barely comprehending these words mumbled back, the blood in her mouth spilling out down her cheek.  As she started coming to,  the throbbing pain in her skull left her in agony.  She rolled to her side and threw up.  The disgusting mix of acid and blood soaking into the already damp dirt.  She struggled to her knees as she threw up again.  Staring at the ground, holding her hair back.  Finishing,  she brought herself to her feet.  Staring at Rayne, Artemis spoke, "Thank you."  Not waiting for a response,  she wondered over to the crackling corpse of the first troll and bent over it.  Rummaging around, she looked for the golden pocket watch.

   Standing again, she faced Rayne, blood pouring from her nose and cheek.  "We should do it again sometime."  Turning away, she shambled forward.  Downing a potion,  she froze.  She turned back.  "Quick question...Where is the nearest town?."  She pointed to the trolls,  "I ran into them last time, it's probably best for us to stick together, at least until town."

It took a long time for the orc to respond, long enough for Rayne to lean forward a touch worriedly. The other woman wasn't pixilating, but there could always be something else wrong. It turned out a moment later that it was 'something else'. Eventually the orc moved, and when she did she immediately retched and threw up on the ground. Rayne quick-stepped backwards a couple of feet and let the poor woman do what she had to do.

The smell made Rayne want to join her, but she was made of sterner stuff than that and managed to keep her stomach firmly where it belonged. Thankfully the orc didn't take long to recover, slowly pushing herself to her feet and offering a few words of thanks which made Rayne shrug. "You're welcome. I couldn't just leave you laying there after all."

As the orc turned toward Rayne, the gunslinger couldn't help noticing that she was covered in blood. A potion pulled from the other woman's pack dealt with the damage done by the troll, but the blood lingered on her face and it made Rayne want to say something but... the orc was already talking.

"The nearest town is that way." Rayne pointed in the appropriate direction but bristled a little at the expectation the orc seemed to have that they would travel together. It was probably a good idea, but she would have preferred to be asked first. Her lips tightened, but she kept her irritation to herself for the moment. She even started toward the city that lay in the direction she'd been heading before all this had begun. "So, do you have a name?"

"My name is F-."   She stopped herself quickly, remembering who she was in this world.  "Artemis,  sorry.  But again thank you for the help...  Those things probably would have killed me."  She held up the pocket watch.  "This old man seems to be more trouble than he's worth though.  Low-level mission my butt."  She scoffed.

    Looking towards the helpful stranger, she queried "What were you doing out here in these woods?  I mean I'm grateful you were, just, like, I'm just curious."  

    She instantly started mentally beating herself.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.
You just met her and are probing her about personal life?  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Quickly as she could she pulled the flail from the charred tree,  the hilt and head were scorched nearly beyond the point of recognition.  She looked at it sorrowly.  The weapon she had worked so hard to get was now destroyed.  I'll get it repaired in town, she thought. It'll be fine. Running to catch up with Rayne again, she carefully sheathed the weapon.

For a moment the girl - and at this point Rayne doesn't think that she's far off in believing that the orc is little more than that - almost gives out her real name. Which, would have been an amusing embarrassment to add to her day. Rayne didn't envy the day that Artemis was having. "It was a low-level mission. A bit tricky sure, but they were relatively easy to kill once you figure out that their weakness is fire."

Rayne shrugged and put her weapons away, watching the other woman as she spoke. "I was just out hunting things, trolls seemed as good a target as anything. Particularly given that you were being attacked by them. I couldn't just leave you to be eaten by them or something." She shuddered at the thought.

She slowed her steps a little so that Artemis could easily catch up from picking up her weapon, trying not to bristle at the delay. "Sorry about your weapon. The elves should be able to fix it up easily for you though. It's their city that we're headed to." Rayne didn't usually talk quite this much, but she actually wasn't sure that the orc knew where they were headed to. Or where they were. From her own words she sounded as though she'd been lost.

    "Thanks..."  Artemis grumbled back.  Her mind was elsewhere.  If that was a low level mission...  I nearly died.  She walked quickly, as to keep up with Rayne's long strides.  She sat in silence,  too embarrassed to say anything in return.  The trolls...  I discovered that they were weak to fire by accident... and I nearly died anyways...  Her pale face reflecting every thought heading through her head.  As the pair swiftly crossed the forest,  Artemis stared around them,  as if anticipating another attack.  They marched for around 2 hours,  though it felt like months.  As the forest gradually became city,  Artemis started straitening herself up.   Grooming her hair,  attempting to clean the blood of her shirt, and adjusting her clothes.  

    The path gradually began to turn from a clearing in the grass, to a old, mossy, cobble path, to a newly built, black brick one.  The trees became fewer and fewer between, as the houses they passed became more common.  Artemis slowed in her strides to take one last look at the scenery before it would be impossible to see.  The dim, narrow pathway,  barely illuminated at all by the candle lamps that had nearly burned down to the wick,  hanging from the lampposts that were almost completely overtaken by vines.  Each house, the windows dark.  As they approached the city,  Artemis wanted to say something,  Anything than just "Thanks"  but nothing came to mind.  

    At the city gates,  Artemis turned towards Rayne.  "Well... I guess this is goodbye."  Artemis turned away, not wanting to make things any more awkward than it already was.  "Bye."  She made off away from Rayne, and began searching for a particular old man, who owed her a lot of money.