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[Naisa Baldhor]

Naisa hugged the fur of the grey wolf closer to her body. It had pained her to destroy such a beautiful creature, but she needed the warmth.

She huddled on the ground beneath a canvas tent she had packed with her, and recalled the most vivid moments of killing the beast. Again her power had failed her in harming anything that wasn’t a human male.

She cursed the blind old woman for being right. She remembered sliding her knife across his soft throat, trying not to damage his coat, while killing him as quickly as possible. It was quite the feat she had managed.

Her teeth chattered, and she clicked them over her tongue.

She had expertly gutted and flayed the skin of the wolf, using the memories of a tanner that she had crossed earlier that day, and fashioned a cloak that was large enough to cover her slim yet curvy frame.

It was a necessity for this trek. It’s what had kept her alive for so long.

She was seeking solitude, peace. Something that she was unable to find in the hubbub of towns and cities. Her mind became so overrun with other peoples thoughts and worries, she couldn’t discern her own.

It wasn’t that she hated people…she just, hated people. She sighed. She tried reaching out for the thoughts of her spirit as she had often enough before, but only managed to discover her own thoughts. I guess the spirits thoughts are mine. She pondered this point again. The same mental argument she had been having for the last two weeks. What if I am the spirit and not the human? But aren’t I the human? How do these things work? she scowled.

“Damn that woman!,” she said aloud. She shifted, waiting for the latest storm to pass.

It really wasn’t so much of a storm as it was an increase in cold and wind. She had been lucky to find an overhang so far out in the frozen land of death. She picked up her mental argument again, and would be too preoccupied to notice if a bear walked into her tent and mauled her.

[Matt]

Damn was Matt getting sick of this storm. He had been walking through it for quite some time and the fabric of his clothes kept him warm. He rubbed his arms to keep them warm as he trekked through the snow. "Reaver! Where the heck are you?!" Matt cried out. "Over here! I thought I lost you!" He yelled as he drifted towards him. "Not today!" Matt cried out with a grin. The storm was getting worse. Suddenly a rock bashed Matt in the face. "OW!" he yelped out as he started to cover his face. "See anything Reaver?" he yelled out as he glanced around. "Tent! A bit north!" he yelled out at him. "Lets go! Hopefully they don't kill us." Matt said with a grin. Obviously he had to kill something when he was here.

He practically ran to the tent and ducked in it as a few more rocks headed his way. He got up and brushed himself off before turning around and noticing that there was someone else... pondering? Matt didn't know. "Uhm. Sorry to intrude your tent Miss." Matt said in an apologetic tone. He noticed she was wrapped in wolf fur. 'Well she knows how to take care of herself. Might mean she is dangerous.' Matt thought. It was then he read her aura... she was a killer? Ha. Everyone was a killer these days. Matt cocked his head and watched her curiously. What would her reaction be?

[Naisa Baldhor]

Naisa was thinking when a cold blast of air entered the tent. She withdrew slowly from her reverie and stared at the man taking refuge in her tent. Her solitude.

“Your face is bruised,” her voice said musically. She pulled a strand of blonde hair from her face, and her grey eyes studied him carefully.

She reached for his thoughts and nearly swore. Another spirit. Joys. Her mind turned. What was she to do now. Her peace was intruded, but not, and she would turn away a man…Actually more likely kill him provided he served the king, but when a spirit became involved there was a whole other set of rules in play.

Thinking of souls made her stomach tighten. It had been a little over two weeks since her last kill. She had time to spare but still. Now that he had intruded on her solitude, she didn’t know when she would be able to figure out what she was.

A curl of blonde hair fell in front of her eyes again, and she shook out her entire mane of hair, huddling in the cloak again. She wasn’t about to speak until he did. It was her tent anyways.

[Matt]

When she spoke her voice rang through his ears. Absentmindedly he touched the spot where the rock had hit. Besides it being bruised and sore it was also bleeding. Reaver floated through the tent and went beside Matt. He didn't say anything to Matt. Instead he focused his gaze onto her. "Careful." he whispered so she wouldn't hear. He could tell she was studying him and her eyes were... Gray. He shrugged this off and looked at her.

He saw her huddle in the cloak again. 'I guess she's not one to talk.' Matt simply thought. "My name is Matt." he said to her. "This is Reaver." he explained as he gestured to Reaver. "What should I call you?" he asked her afterwards. Maybe if he could hear her name he could figure out if she was dangerous or not... maybe.

(Sorry for shortness.)

[Naisa Baldhor]

“You may call me Naisa,” she said. At the sight of Reaver she relaxed somewhat. People who served the king weren’t allowed to keep their guardian spirits. So it was somewhat assuring that he wasn’t her enemy. Not that he was necessarily her friend.

Really, all it meant was that she couldn’t kill him with her power. Well, until she was sure of his allegiance.

She sighed. Her mind was everywhere. She had lost the threads of her previous argument with herself. Probably a disconcerting habit for most people, when she spoke to herself. She always tried to remain aware of her actions around people.

She reached for his thoughts again in vain. She felt annoyed, and her grey eyes glittered sharply in the tent. There was no light, but the air was white outside, keeping the tent alight itself.

“What brings you to the tundra, a place of death for spirits and men?”

[Matt]

Matt saw her relax when she saw Reaver. Good... it meant she wasn't a threat to him. Or was she? Riddles within riddles. He felt a jab in his mind. 'What the...' he thought as it disappeared. Was something happening to his mind? Matt strengthened his mind covering it in a solid defense. Hopefully he wouldn't feel it again. "What brings me here? Traveling." Matt said. He felt something warm start to run down the side of his face like a liquid. It dripped off him and it showed its red color. The rock had done more damage than he suspected. He wiped the blood off his face and proceeded to rip off a piece of his cloak. He ripped off a small amount and used it to soak up the blood.

"So. What would bring you here? Peace? Solitude? Curiosity?" Matt asked as the last of the blood was soaked into the fabric. He threw it outside quickly just barely escaping another rock go flying. It passed his hand as he released the fabric and it floated away at a high rate. Matt's face felt sore now.

[Naisa Baldhor]

Naisa nodded. “I am here for all those things.”

She shifted in her blanket. She could smell the blood from his cut on his cheek in the air. The scent made her stomach squirm uncomfortably but she ignored it. It was beginning to swell, and if he wasn’t careful, it would scar.

She sighed. Naisa dropped the blanket, revealing her close fitting deep red tunic, and leaned to her right. She pulled a clay jar from her bag and untied the string on the top, allowing the lid to fall off.

Without speaking, she sidled closer to Matt, ignoring Reaver, and dipped her finger in the jar. She scooped a small amount of a sticky green substance and spoke without inflection, “this is going to sting.”

Without waiting for an answer she applied it to his cheek.

[Matt]

Matt watched as she nodded and answered him. Matt noticed that the odor of blood started making her shift in her wolf skin blanket. He heard a sigh as Matt began to see movement. She dropped the blanket revealing a close fitting deep red tunic. She reached over to her right as if to grab something and took out a jar. She then untied the string and the lid fell to the floor. She scooped a small amount of the substance with her fingers and said "This is going to sting." He shrugged and let her apply it. As she applied it it started to feel like a burning sting but slowly turned into a gentle wave.

"Thanks." he said as she finished applying it. The soreness from it seemed to leak away as a stinging took hold. Then the gentleness came again. It was like a system. It continued to do this until all the pain felt... pleasant. "What is that stuff?" Matt asked curiously. Reaver looked at her strangely... it was a look Matt knew well. He disliked this woman.

[Naisa Baldhor]

Naisa blinked slowly. “It’s a healing salve, imbued with the power of a spirit. One of the reasons I come here, is to find the mis-aligned spirits.”

She spoke without thinking and hadn’t realized she was speaking about spirits that wouldn’t come into contact with anything but spirits. She mentally shrugged. Even if they picked up on it, she doubted they would realize the importance of such a feat. Mind you that Reaver character…

She tied the twine back on top of the jar so it wouldn’t fall open, and tucked it gently in her bag. Her blonde hair fell in front of her eyes, obscuring her face. She adjusted the bags position, and a side flap fell open revealing the cherry-wood handles of her long-knives. She flipped the leather covering over them again without haste, not worrying about if they had seen. Better if they were cautious and thought her dangerous than try to hurt her.

Naisa leaned back and covered herself in the blanket again. The sounds of wind outside reached a fever pitch, but she knew that meant the storm was nearly done its course.

“I would offer you tea, but I have little in the way of firewood,” she said musically. Her accent sounded strange and her eyes widened. Was that her or the spirit talking? Which accent was it? It wasn’t from here. It was her only clue as to her past, and it came and went, and she tried to hold it, but it was like cupping water in your hands.

[Matt]

Matt's face seemed to go pale when she said how it was made. 'No... It needs spirits?' Matt thought it terror. Reaver's face, however, seemed to not to notice that spirits were used. Matt knew something was up. As he thought this over he saw dagger handles. He knew his weapons were well hidden under his cloak. His face had already recovered and he was delighted to see she hadn't seen it... Or had she? He saw her tuck herself in the blanket. The winds had died down... good. That meant that he could get away if he needed to. "Tea?" he said before he realized it really wasn't her accent. 'What the heck!?' his mind burst out into questions. She really was... unique. A soft groaning came behind him.

Matt turned his head to the right to allow his eye to see what there was out there. He caught glimpses of frozen skin, muscle and bone hanging out. "Soul hunter?" he mumbled out loud as an arm in his cloak reached for his halberd. There was a scream... Yep, it really was a soul hunter. Matt didn't look at all pleased with this. Reaver however... had a look of terror cross his face. More groans came behind the strange ghoul like creature. "Always in packs..." he grumbled angrily. They weren't getting Reaver today... or any other day.

"Ever seen a soul hunter before?" he asked Naisa. The creature stumbled into the tent with its ghoul like features clearly visible. It saw Reaver... yet it didn't look like he was appetizing. 'Whaaat?' Matt thought it disbelief. It's eyes locked on Naisa. The creature grumbled and wailed somewhat loudly as two more of them found their way in. Matt sensed three more hidden behind the tent. Reaver backed up a bit as relief crossed his face. The first creature left... but was impaled by the halberd that suddenly shot out of Matt's cloak without damaging it. The creature screamed in pain... but it was not dead.

[Naisa Baldhor]

Naisa froze. The being that had entered her tent sent her heart stuttering so fast. Her mind went blank, and horrible ideas crossed her mind.

If it was searching for souls, it must know that Naisa was of two. Meaning, that it wanted her spirit. But the only reason it would ignore Reaver for her, is because her soul was stronger, or more to its taste. But if it got a hold of her spirit, wouldn’t that leave the human side to remain?

Her jaw set, and she stood in the tent, her slender frame hard in the cold. She pulled her knives from her pack, and swiftly belted them to her waist. She flipped them from her belt, expertly wrapping her fingers around the hilts, and stood ready.

She was one, and she would accept it. No longer would she run from what she was, or seek for a way out. This was her wakeup call, and a harsh call it was.

She adjusted her feet, and spun, removing the creatures head from its body, knives tearing through tendon and flesh. Her mind was turned off, and she was in her place. The place where she felt no remorse for the death she caused. She turned the knife in her hand, and held point to her elbow, waiting. Her breathing pattern didn’t even change.

[Matt]

Matt noted the ferocity of her attack. Obviously she was used to combat. Quickly he returned to dispatching the threat and he yanked the halberd out of the soul eater. It roared as Matt lopped its head off. The last soul eater ran out of the tent but Matt quickly threw his halberd like a javelin. The halberd tore through muscle, bone, ice and earth. Now the creature was pinned on the ground. The thing roared, screeched and growled in pain. Matt leapt over the body and landed on the head with a large crack. Knowing that it would take too much time to remove the halberd from the ground he took out his scimitar. "Lets go!" he yelled as he sliced an arm of a soul eater off. Matt suddenly felt far.

He turned around to see one of the soul eaters attempting to rip out his soul. Matt struggled with keeping his soul as the others apparently went for Naisa. Matt suddenly had a look of determination. He leapt directly at the soul eater (much to its surprise) and lopped an arm off to break its concentration. It screeched and grabbed the stump. Matt stood there and quickly gathered his breath before looking at the tent.

(Sorry for the wait)

[Naisa Baldhor]

Naisa stood back and watched him fight. The souleaters tried to remove his soul, and she was at a loss of what to do.

Her face remained blank, as two of the creatures came towards her. She couldn’t do it yet, he needed to be clear of the creatures. He interested her, and for now, her curiosity allowed him another chance at life.

He cut the arm of the souleater, which then ran for the safety of the frozen ground beyond their camp. She was alone now, amongst these foul creatures. She could hear only the blood coursing through her ears, and the steady beating of her heart.

The sounds around the tent were muted, and things were fuzzy. She opened her mouth, and screamed.

The creatures fell, writhing on the ground. She noticed Matt, and changed to a frequency, that wouldn’t kill him. The higher pitch burst the life-force of the souleaters. The power floated in the air for a moment, and was drawn to Naisa.

She closed her mouth, and fell to her knees. The many souls from the souleaters attacks, raced towards her, for she had given them a final death, robbing them of their sustenance. The souls hit her with such force, that she fell backwards. Burning with energy, she broke out in a sweat.

The sorrow of the deaths filled her, and she stared blankly with grey eyes. Her body began to tremor, and she couldn’t move, or even cry out. Her eyes became frantic. There was nothing she could do as she was racked with seizure.

[Matt]

Matt went to a knee at the sound of her scream. He dropped his sword and clutched his ears before she changed to a different frequency. He slowly got to his feet and grabbed his sword before realizing that something was terribly wrong. He saw Naisa in a seizure and saw the last of the souls go into her. He pried the knives out of her hands and tossed them into the tent before carrying Naisa as fast as he dared into the tent. He stabbed his foot on a dagger as he ran in and he mentally cursed himself on his stupidity. He a large space on the floor and put her on her side before running outside and gathering his supplies just before another storm hit and blew away the corpses. He then grabbed the stuff she used on him earlier and applied it to his foot before putting it back.

Matt waited and watched as he kept his foot off the ground. He was sitting on the ground cross legged and he watched Naisa hoping that she would come out of this seizure. Every so often Reaver would attempt to get Matt's mind off of her but nothing worked. Finally Matt started cleaning his weapons.

[Naisa Baldhor]

Naisa felt like she was choking, drowning. Floating in a void. Her eyes were opened but saw nothing. Shapes and sounds started returning, and slowly the inside of the tent took form.

Her body felt like she had been run over by a stray Wombler. Those horrific beasts that roamed parts of the forest, and the edges of this tundra.

Slowly she sat up, and shook her head. She saw Matt cleaning his weapons, and realized then, that she was in the tent. She had forgotten she was inside the tent. She had seen it, but not registered.

“That’s the last time I kill Souleaters like that,” she mumbled under her breath

She felt full of energy from the souls that she had just absorbed, but because it was a roundabout way to get energy, the experience was a little traumatic. Nothing she had experienced before.

. “You brought me inside?” she asked Matt, her musical voice curious. She locked her grey eyes with Matt’s own.