The Slave Trade (Open Thread)

[Morhin]

"You best not. I would have to spread the word that you are a wimp. Take your best shot, Warmaster."
Morhin returned her smirk then suddenly attacked. He slashed down and across with his sword three times, all of which were easily blocked by Cyrith. Morhin fainted a slash and then thrust his sword forward for a quick kill. But the faint didn't fool Cyrith, and it was defected and countered. Morhin retreated a step to avoid the counter and paused to eye his opponent. His first few attacks had been testing attacks.

Morhin slowly circled Cyrith, waiting for an opening. "You do have some skill with a blade." he complimented. "But you still have a lot to learn before you could ever beat me." Morhin attacked again. This time, he used quick slashing attacks, always keeping Cyrith on the defense. Morhin continued to attack until he found his the opening he had been waiting for. Cyrith countered his strike and was now on the offensive. Morhin's plan was to sweep Cyrith's legs out from under her. If he was successful, Morhin would have a few precious heartbeats when Cyrith would be vulnerable and he could quickly pin her sword against the ground with his. At least, that was his plan. He parried her sword and suddenly dropped to the ground, swinging his leg out to sweep Cyrith's legs out from under her.

[Cyrith]

Cyrith was able to easily block Rawhide's slashing and quick kill attacks. She though them to be too simple and she lied it not. She was not to be fooled by such moves. She rolled her eyes and had expected much better from Rhûn's Warmaster. 'This is pathetic,' she thought to herself. If this was how he fought, she could kill him easily. Of course he could have been just testing her, but this was no test to her.

As Rawhide circled her, she followed suit. You do have some skill with a blade. But you still have a lot to learn before you could ever beat me, he said and Cyrith laughed. "I know you can do better," she said. "I am here to spar, not dance." However, Rawhide's next barrage of attacks still proved easy to Cyrith and it was obvious that he could see that. He was waiting for the right moment and the right time, Cyrith saw that. However, she was nearly thrown off guard when he suddenly dropped to the ground and swung his leg to knock her off her feet. No man had ever tried that move on her. Cyrith had quick reflexes and when she was knocked off her feet, she turned to the side and placed her hand onto the ground, breaking her fall. Unforuntately, too much pressure was inflicted onto the arm and created smalls stabs of pain in her wounded shoulder. That still did not stop her. Not having enough time to get up, Cyrith raised her sword and blocked Rawhide's attack as his own sword clashed with hers.

[Morhin]

Morhin was impressed to say the least. Though he had caught Cyrith off guard, he had not been able to execute his attack the way he had planed. Cyrith had very good reflexes and had prevented him from pinning her sword. Morhin rolled away and got back to his feet. He smiled and saluted Cyrith with his sword. "Well done. I must admit that I have underestimated you. I beg your forgiveness. I intend to make it up to you." Morhin sheaved his sword and pulled out his large elven knife. The knife was a foot and a half long, and Morhin held it in a loosely against his forearm. "A sword is more useful for fighting against multiple opponents. I prefer a knife in a duel." Said Morhin as he charged again.

Morhin now used a completely different set of attacks. They came faster and consisted of more thrusts and stabs than the slashing attacks he had used with the sword. Morhin was deadly with a knife. It had been his favorite weapon until he received his whip from his father. Morhin was tempted to pull out his whip and use it against Cyrith, but had decided against it. Only if she beats me he thought.

Morhin also fainted dropping to the ground and doing another leg sweep. Cyrith would be on the guard for that attack and by acting as if he would do it again kept Cyrith on the watch for it and not watching for something else he might do.

[Cyrith]

A knife in a dual. With that, Cyrith frowned. Rawhide would have the upper advantage, she was not very good at duals with a knife. She pulled out her dagger and prepared to face him once more, even though she knew that she was going to fail this battle. She was not turning back despite that.

Rawhide used a new set of attacks against her, more faster than before. Cyrith really tried to keep her guard up and follow his moves, but with her lack of skill in a knife dual, she did not fair well, and received two cuts in the dual because she was not fast enough. It seemed a knife dual was one of Rawhide's strong points.

This time, however, Cyrith did not see Rawhide's second leg sweep, her mind was too focused on his knife attacks. His leg swept under her, knocking her right off her feet, causing her to fall backwards and land right on her back. Not wanting to give in, Cyrith still managed to roll over onto her side and quickly pick herself up. But the moment that she stood up, Cyrith started to feel light-headed and dizzy. She lost her balance and fell to the ground once again.

[Morhin]

In a knife fight, one must attack fast and accurate and end the fight as quickly as possible. Knives were not ideal for long battles or duals. Twice Morhin had to check himself from making a fatal stab. Although Morhin was far more skilled with a knife than Cyrith, he had to admit that she was defending herself rather well. Except that she left herself open for another leg sweep, which Morhin took full advantage of. He hook her legs with his and pulled them out from under her. Morhin followed through and went to lay his blade across her neck. But again, Cyrith proved to be a surviver and rolled away from him before he could pin her down.

Morhin wasn't going to give Cyrith a moment to breath. He went in to attack but stopped short as Cyrith fell to the ground. He was weary at first, thinking that perhaps Cyrith was trying to lure him to let his guard down. But he quickly dismissed that thought. Morhin returned his knife to it's sheaf as he knelt down beside Cyrith and gently sat her up. "Perhaps we should take a break." suggested Morhin. He moved her over to the shade and knelt beside her again. "Is your shoulder bothering you?" He asked. "We may have been to hasty to dismiss the wound."

[Cyrith]

As Rawhide tried to help Cyrith up, her stubborn side wanted to take over once again and push him away, but she was starting to lack the strength. She raised an arm and placed a hand against his shoulder, but whether she was able to push him off at all was unclear. Why the shade? Cyrith wondered. It was winter. She wanted to stay in the sun, it was warmer there.
She slowly sat down on the ground, and Rawhide kneeling down beside her. Is your shoulder bothering you? he asked. Her shoulder? No, it was not her shoulder. Cyrith begun to think him as a little too caring or something. She shook her head no but that made the spinning in her head worse. She placed a chilled hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, but it mattered little. Cyrith could still feel her head spinning, only just not seeing everything spin around her. Her hand then suddenly dropped and she and fell over to the side, landing on Rawhide, looking as if though she had fallen asleep, but she fainted instead.

[Morhin]

(Is it winter?)

Morhin caught Cyrith as she fell over and gently laid her on the ground. He laid two fingers against her neck. Her pulse was faint. Morhin grabbed her hands and cursed. "I dismissed the poison too quickly. I should have know better." He sat down and closed his eyes. Morhin knew that, though he had been born and raised with the elves, he was no elf. He had always been more human than elf. That was on of the reasons he had left the elves and journeyed east. Had he been a full blooded elf, he would have cured Cyrith right after she had been bitten. Another failure.

Morhin opened his eyes and looked at Cyrith. She looked as if she were just asleep and not unconscious. He had no feelings for her, other than someone who, like him, hated slavers. But he found that he could not just do nothing. Morhin gently picked Cyrith up and carried her back to the Inn.

After Morhin had laid Cyrith in a bed and covered her with many blankets, he set to work. "I may not be an full elf, but I still have elvish blood in me." He looked out the window toward the west and a home he used to know. "Uncle help me." Whispered Morhin. He heated water and pulled back out his antidotes. Taking the assassin ring, he carefully poured a few drops in it. Morhin took Cyrith's arm and rolled back her sleeve. He felt around for a large vein and stuck the ring into it. He repeated this twice then quickly bandaged the arm. "That should neutralize any poison still in the blood stream." he said to no one in particular. He took out a small flask and gently raised Cyrith's head but paused. Fining her dagger, he set it in her hand and then spoke as if she could hear. "I'm part elf, reMember? But if it makes you feel any better, you've got your dagger in case you want to kill me." Morhin then poured a little liquid into Cyrith's mouth. "In case your wandering," Morhin said, although no one was there to hear him. "This stuff will burn going down, but it will make you feel warmer." Morhin sat back in his chair and pulled out his pipe. "I've done all I can, may the Valar show you favor." He lit his pipe and waited.

(I read this and I think I may have jumped a bit. If the third paragraph is too much, just ignore it.)

[Cyrith]

(I'm going by the current season, sorry lol)

Cyrith had finally awoken, but she did not know how long she had been out for. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room, but her vision was blurred and she left as if though her head was in a fog, she did not recognize her surroundings. Cyrith reMembered having a knife dual with Rawhide, but she reMembered nothing else after that.
She squeezed her eyes shut a couple of times, trying to clear her vision, but it made her eyes water in the process. She raised a hand to clear the tears from her eyes but did not realize that her dagger laid in her hand and when she raised her hand, the weapon dropped to the floor with a loud clanking sound. It caused Cyrith to jump and she suddenly sat up in her bed. She then looked over and saw Rawhide sitting in the corner of the room. She looked at him for a only a moment then laid back down and stared at the ceiling. Cyrith lacked the strength to remain sitting up.

(No, it wasn't too much, it's fine)

[Morhin]

(Thats fine, I just hadn't thought about it.)

Morhin had been deep in thought and didn't notest that Cyrith had awoken until he heard her dagger clang on the floor. That pulled him quickly from his thoughts. Putting away his pipe, Morhin walked over and knelt by the bed. He took a rag and gently wiped her forehead. "I'm glad to see that your not dead." Morhin removed the cap of his flask, the one that contained burning liquid. "Here, drink a little of this. It will give you strength." Said Morhin as he helped Cyrith raise her head. "It burns a little going down." He warned as he raised the flask to her lips and poured a little in.

Morhin lade Cyrith back down and waited a moment for the elixir to take effect. "You may not have heard me earlier, but you I was quite impressed in your fighting skills. I will admit, you were much better that I thought you'd be. But you probably don't care what I think about your skills, so I won't say anymore. But I am concerned with how your feeling." Morhin paused a moment longer than sighed. "I hate to admit, but I'm not as skilled as I thought I was. It's been a long time since I've lived with the elves and I seem to have lost a great deal of touch. Are you able to focus on anything, or is your head spinning around?"

[Cyrith]

Cyrith's eyes watered as the liquid burned her throat as it went down. She was curious to know what it was. She knew not of any medicine in a liquid form that burned. She then shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable again. Of course, to Cyrith, actually having a bed to sleep in was always comfortable after sleeping on the ground outside for a long time.
She looked up at Rawhide as he spoke, commenting on how he was impressed by her fighting skills. Cyrith just smiled lightly, but spoke no words. Usually when she smiled, it was out of pride or of a mischievous nature, however, today, it was more sincere.
But you probably don't care what I think about your skills, so I won't say anymore.
Cyrith raised an eyebrow. That was not true. She did care what others thought about her skills. It was the way of finding out what you fair well at and what needs improvement.
She eyed Rawhide carefully, listening to him as he admitting that he was loosing his touch, and misjudged her injury. Cyrith had guessed that he wished he could have done better. "It was a mere accident," Cyrith said. "Don't worry about it. And no, my head is not spinning either."

[Morhin]

Morhin was both relieved and worried. He felt her forehead to see if she had a fever. In mock concern he said, "What? No snide remark? No threating to kill me? It's worse than I feared." He laughed lightly then smiled, "Your made of tougher stuff than I ever would have gess. Are you sure your from Harad and not from Rhun?" Morhin stood and stretched as he looked out the widow. It was still a few hours before sunset and then they would have at least three hours before they met the slave traders. He glanced back down at Cyrith. Would she have the strength to fight? Morhin hoped so, but he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. If she felt the slightest of dizziness, she would stay here.

Morhin knelt beside Cyrith again and said, "You rest a bit. Later tonight I'm going to meet the slave traders. If you feel strong enough by then, then you can go to. But if not, your staying right here." He laded a hand on her good shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. "Rest now." He said softly then returned to his chair in the corner and began to clean and sharpen his weapons.

[Cyrith]

What? No snide remark? No threatening to kill me? It's worse than I feared.
Cyrith laughed. "Not this time, Warmaster," she said. "I am not like that all the time, but most of the time. It kept people away from me, particularly because I did not want the company of others and I do not trust anyone. I suppose it was a way to protect myself and it usually worked." Cyrith paused for a moment. "At least until today anyway."
Your made of tougher stuff than I ever would have guess. Are you sure your from Harad and not from Rhun?
"To be honest, no, I am not really sure," Cyrith answered. "I was born in Near Harad, but whether and I actually from there, that I do not know, and you should know by now where I came from. You had to be tough. Also, I travel alone, I live in the wild, you cannot just be strong, but intelligent as well, it is the how you survive."

Later tonight I'm going to meet the slave traders.
The slave traders. Cyrith nearly forgotten about them. "You?" she said, pointing a finger at Rawhide. "You mean 'we'," Cyrith used her other hand to also point a finger at herself. "I do not need much rest. I can still fight if I must. I am not your average woman, and you will do well to reMember that, if you had not figured that out already."

Cyrith turned over and laid on her good side and pulled the blankets up to her neck. Although she was no longer tired, laying in bed was still resting even though she was awake. She just laid there and stared at the wall, listening the sound of a sword being sharpened by Rawhide. She did not mind the sound. Suddenly a thought crossed the woman's mind and she suddenly sat up. "Wait a minute," she said. "You are posing at the buyer right? Who exactly am I suppose to pose as?" Cyrith asked.

[Morhin]

You? You mean 'we', I am not your average woman, and you will do well to reMember that, if you had not figured that out already.
Morhin smiled as he sat down and drew his sword. "I have not forgotten." He said. "Nor have I forgotten you fainting four hours ago and giving me a good scare." He ran his sharpening stone along the blade. The sound of sharpening steal always made him smile. His sword needed little sharpening, he always kept it in excellent condition. Morhin drew his elven knife and examined it. It never needed sharpening, being an elven blade. Morhin laded it on the table in front of him and began to pull out the other knives that he carried. A large knife from his boot, a throwing knife he kept between his shoulders, two more throwing knifes hidden in his left sleeve, and lastly, his right forearm guard which housed a spring loaded dart. After laying all his weapons on the table, Morhin checked and cleaned each one, then began to check his armor to make sure that it was all in order.

Suddenly Cyrith sat up, Wait a minute! You are posing at the buyer right? Who exactly am I suppose to pose as?
Morhin thought a moment as he finished his armor inspection then wiped his hands on a rag. What he had in mind might offend Cyrith, but it was the best he could come up with. "Another slave."

[Cyrith]

I have not forgotten. Nor have I forgotten you fainting four hours ago and giving me a good scare.
Cyrith raised an eyebrow. Rawhide's words really surprised her. It almost sounded if though he was worried for her. "I gave you a scare? Since when did you care about me and my health?"

Another slave.
Cyrith now realized why Rawhide had taken a while to answer her. He was probably thinking that would offended by his answer. In Cyrith's mind, it would not work. She dressed as a ranger and did not look like she could pass for a slave, secondly, if it came down to a battle, how would she be able to fight? A slave was not allowed near any weapons. The only item close enough to a weapon she was allowed to touch was a kitchen knife. "I do not believe that will work out," Cyrith said.
She leaned back and thought for a moment, trying to think of another plan. She then reMember once when her owner was looking to sale some of his slaves, an interested buyer was looking to put to work some young boys to help tend to his many horses he owned. His wife needed a young servant to help around the house, so he brought along his wife to pick the girl she thought suited the job. "I have a suggestion," Cyrith said. "But it may seem a little awkward."

[Morhin]

I gave you a scare? Since when did you care about me and my health?
"Since it was I who asked you to remove that snake from my gear which resulted in you getting bitten. And then I did not do a proper job in tending the wound the first time." replied Morhin.

Morhin sat down and pulled out his short pipe but did not light it. He turned it over in his hands a few times then said, "No I think it can. Not all slave masters treat their slaves like animals. I know of a land-lord who kept several slaves as bodyguards. His best one was a woman. She was a slave, so he didn't pay her for her services, but she never needed anything. Anything she wanted, he gave her because she was such a good bodyguard." Morhin taped his pipe on the table.

I have a suggestion, but it may seem a little awkward.
"If you have a better idea than posing a slave bodyguard, lets here it." Morhin said as he looked over at Cyrith. "I can't think of anything more awkward than you having to act like a slave again."