Memories and Nightmares (Kura and Elyna)

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura watched in dismay as Elyna attacked Valtharn, who simply grinned at the attack. Elyna managed to deflect the redheads first strike, but when she thrust, Valtharn simply reversed her grip on her sword and used it to knock Elyna's blade away. Her follow up however, was not a sword strike. Instead, the redheaded woman simply drove a fist right at Elyna's face. "Come on, come on, come on! So silent, so focused. Boring! I WANT TO HEAR YOU SCREAM, WENCH!" Valtharn shouted with manic glee as she lashed a kick at Elyna's knee. She wasn't fighting kill Elyna, she was fighting to hurt her, to break her.

Kura watched the fight with dread, knowing that no matter how good Elyna was, she wasn't likely to be a match for Valtharn. She needed help. Grimacing as she tried to make her legs work, Kura started dragging herself towards the two warriors. "Come on, Phelan. Now would be a good time." she growled under her breath, seeking her link to the wolf. She couldn't find it. Swearing, she did something desperate and rolled over onto her back, then over again back onto her stomach, breaking the shaft of the arrow lodged in her back. Grabbing it, she used it as leverage to try and dig the point of the arrow out. It didn't work any better than she had expected. But the broken shaft was still sharp. Valtharn didn't want her dead, she wanted to make her watch as she tortured and killed Elyna. She had her distraction, something to help Elyna survive.

Rolling back onto her back, Kura raised the arrow and stabbed herself in the stomach with it, making no attempt to muffle her cry of pain as she jerked it out and raised it again. She saw Valtharn glance over at her and swear explosively as she brought the arrow down. However, this time she just hit herself in the stomach with an empty fist. Sitting up, she opened her hand to see where the arrow had gone, but it was empty. Then she noticed that she was now wearing the black coat and other clothes she had worn since leaving the empire and she had her bow and arrow slung across her back. Then she heard growls and a shout of pain from behind her.

Standing up and whirling to face the pair, Kura saw Valtharn raise her sword to swing at Phelan, who was biting at her face. But the wolf nimbly dodged the swing and crouched, growling at Valtharn and ready to leap again. Valtharn was bleeding badly from several bite and claw marks and her smile was gone, replaced by a look of pure rage. Kura pulled her bow off her back and nocked an arrow to the string. "Elyna, you still good to retreat?" she asked, her tone slightly manic at these events before a sick feeling of dread spread through her as she watched Valtharn's wounds heal and a shimmering black shield appear over her body. She had forgotten, Valtharn was a mage as well as a warrior.

Valtharn turned her glare on Kura and snarled. "You've your mothers blessing. I guess I'll break you before I make you watch me kill your wolf and the wench." she said coldly, before she raised her hand and a quartet of four spheres surrounded her, spinning fast. "Or maybe I'll just feed the lot of you to my friend." she growled, her expression one of pure sadistic malice before she burst into a manic laugh as a spectral, demonic looking beast formed behind her.

Kura stared at that in shock for a moment, then glanced at Elyna. "Um. I think we might be in some serious fekkin trouble." she said, her tone now well and truly panicked.

[Elyna]

The crossing of blades went as Elyna had expected. Rapid parry’s in order for them to test the strength of their opponent. Until the rhythm broke. It wasn’t unusual for fighting styles to be combined and for melee combat to descend to blows and a desperate scrabbling for pain. However for the change to come so quickly caught the young woman by surprise. The blow connected and she stumbled back, regaining her balance. Her nose burst in an explosion of pain and blood, pressing her palm to the base, it grew hot and slick to the touch. Grim, the woman pulled her hand away and wiped the liquid on her breaches. She needed to keep a decent grip with both hands if she was going to survive. She whistled in a breath and forced the pain into a small corner of her mind. Stepping forward the second blow landed. Her knee twisted to the side and the Skyrider dropped. She swore at whatever Immortals were listening as she landed. She wasn’t about to give the woman the pleasure of hearing her scream.
A pulse of white hot pain shot through her leg but she twisted, lifting her sword to block an oncoming attack. Another blow came just as fast and was blocked again. The ache in her knee dulled and the woman forced herself back to her feet. With the back of her sleeve she wiped the blood away from her nose and mouth, most of all, she needed to be able to breathe. She stepped forward, head ringing from the blow, but she lifted her sword and attacked at the woman’s middle. Her strikes were deflected, but the woman’s attention was withdrawn.
Their attacker turned to Kura. Elyna followed her gaze like a rookie and felt her heart thump harder in her chest. What was the woman doing? About to drive an arrow into her middle, she was suddenly standing. No sign of injury or even dust on new clothes. On unsteady legs, and with a knee that wanted to give way beneath her weight, Elyna stumbled once more in retreat. Dark eyes darted from Kura to Valtharn and back again and she edged back, away from the emerging vision.
“I think…” she panted, “I think that a retreat is the best option,” she admitted. She continued to make small steps, sword balanced before her in an attempt of defence. She managed to draw level with Kura before looking over her shoulder. With a whistle the Volareon leapt closer with a screech of defiance.
Elyna turned, looped her arm around the creature’s neck and pulled herself up. She transferred her sword to her left hand and reached down, offering assistance to Kura, “Come on!” If they made it out of here alive, the Skyrider didn’t know how many immortals they’d have to thank, but it would surely be a lot.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura nodded at Elyna as she mounted the flying beasts she had summoned. Valtharn scowled at their retreat and lept to stop them, but was prevented as Phelan leaped at her back, snarling and growling. Then the demon-thing grabbed the wolf and there was a sudden snapping noise and then...nothing. The wolf fell to the ground, lifeless and unmoving and a dreadful emptiness spread through Kura. "P-Phelan?" she said, frozen in shock. The wolf didn't answer her, didn't move, and the emptiness continued to spread and with a cry of vengeful rage she lept at Valtharn, to tear her eyes out, to make the traitor pay for what she had done to her wolf. Valtharn only responded by smirking as she moved one of her spheres to intercept the enraged Mortalborn, then her entire awareness was only pain and suffering as a terrible weight descended on her stomach.

"Kura! Kura, wake up damnit!"

Kura sat up in a rush and her head rammed into Phelan's. Fortunately, the fluffy padding of the wolf's fur kept either of them from getting a concussion, but it still left with Kura with a dreadful ringing in her head and tears in her eyes. She could only imagine what the poor wolf was going through. Then she saw that Phelan was laying across her stomach and she pulled the wolf's massive head into her arms, burying her face in his fur. "I saw you die." she whimpered.

After a moment, she felt Phelan start to lick her, a form of comfort the wolf could give. "It was a nightmare, Kura. The same as the ones that drove from home." he said, his tone gentle but calming. Kura nodded into his fur, then let go of her furry companion and laid back down, looking at the forest above them.

"It felt different from the other ones though." she said, running her hands over her face. "Valtharn was there, and I think...maybe someone else. I can't remember." she said, her tone a grimace. She heard the gentle flap of wings and felt rather than heard Speck settle next to her.

"Dreams fade, Kura. Sleep as well as you can, we yet have a ways to travel." the owl said, her tone gentle as she settled down next to Kura while Phelan curled on her other side, though the wolf kept his head on the mortalborns stomach.

"Yeah, you're right, Speck." Kura muttered as she gave Phelan a quick scratch behind the ears and started to drop off to sleep again.

[Elyna]

Elyna stretched out, reaching for the woman and trying to pull her forward. It was then that the wolf leapt on their attacker and she felt any hope sinking in her stomach, extinguished. She and Kura both weren’t getting out of here, not alive. Not with the wolf. The skyrider hesitated for a trill before making her decision. All or nothing. Swinging a leg over the volareon, she prepared to jump back down and assist the tall woman.

It seemed however, that fates had aligned against her. The volareon launched up into the air, carrying her away with a sudden beat of wing. The skyrider almost slipped off the creatures back as it lurched. Her hand outstretched to her companion below, “NO!” she shouted, gripping the animal tight with trembling hands as she struggled not to fall.

The world vanishing, spinning away as the volareon rose into the sky. Clouds quickly obscured her view of the scene below. Elyna sat up in her bed, gasping.

She blinked into the dim light of the room. The heat of Saun hadn’t even fled during the night and a thin sheen of sweat covered her skin. Panting, she searched the shadows for any sign of soldiers, or the woman she’d fought alongside. She dropped a hand to her belly and the stirring life within. “It’s okay,” she whispered, “we’ll be okay.”

[Rumour]

Name: Kura Wolfsdotter

Knowledge:
Location: Rynmere
Location: Burning Mountains
Rynmere: Army Insignias
Rynmere: Civil War During Saun 716
Mount: Volarean
Elyna Burhan: Noblewoman
Elyna Burhan: From Rynmere
Elyna Burhan: Sergeant of Xiur Skyriders
Elyna Burhan: First Daughter of Pavoo Burhan
Pavoo Burhan: Baron of Burhan
Valtharn: Warrior Mage
Valtharn: Princess
Valtharn: Traitor
Valtharn: From the Eternal Empire
Enemy: Valtharn
Phelan: Wolf Familiar
Speck: Owl Familiar

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Fame: N/A
Devotion: N/A

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5

- - -

Name: Elyna

Knowledge:
Kura Wolfsdotter: From the Eternal Empire
Kura Wolfsdotter: Mortalborn?
Kura Wolfsdotter: Valtharn's Enemy
Location: Rynmere
Location: Burning Mountains
Rynmere: Army Insignias
Rynmere: Civil War During Saun 716
Valtharn: Warrior Mage

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Fame: N/A
Devotion: N/A

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5

- - -

Comments: Wonderful dream thread, you two! It was a really interesting read with plenty of plot and story. I liked how you integrated the history of both characters into the thread and flipped back-and-forth between elements that were familiar to each of them.

Kura, I really enjoyed reading your writing & loved the interactions Kura had with Elyna and her familiars! I also liked the way you set up the battlefield and the integration of Valtharn. Great portrayal of Valtharn, by the way! She's super scary. I only have one small note of caution: there were a few moments at the beginning of the thread where your PC seemed to show awareness of being in a dream and, possibly, of Elyna's "realness". This went away by the end, which I appreciated, but thought I would point it out as something to avoid for next time.

Elyna, beautiful writing, as always. It was lovely to see how well your posts aligned with Kura's and you really took up the challenge of fully integrating your character into the dreamscape. Excellent description of the fighting scenes, as well!

Overall, fantastic fun. I hope to see the two of you write together again in future (perhaps in the 'real' world?).

If you feel I've missed anything or if you have questions about your review, please don't hesitate to send me a quick PM. Thanks!