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 Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 11:17 am
 Two trolls meet after getting out of a bad situation. Although both are from different sides, one can't help but feel like they owe the other...
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 11:23 am
The swamp was definitely not Zindel's first choice in the category "Places I Go For Military s**t."
He wished they'd stayed in the caves, actually— They were cooler, nicer, even with the bloodstained ground and the obvious signs of extreme battle. He was tired and traveling alone, having walked too slow to stick with the group but within range of the army. Thankful for the boots the army supplied him with, the redblood stomped through the barely navigable swamp, feeling his legs tremble from exhaustion. Not only had he been wounded and scarred, his only treatment of them was from Afryse and Chiara, two trolls he definitely hadn't wanted to see that night. Chiara because she was Chiara, Afryse because the last time he saw him, they were kids, and he'd left him to die.
He'd hoped he did. That way he wouldn't have had a loose string.
But he didn't. And the yellowblood helped him.
Zindel stopped walking and swallowed hard. He'd known he was dead meat since he was a kid, but to see the other yellowblood only cemented him more. He could bet his life Afryse had an ulterior motive.
...To be completely honest, the redblood actually did not want to think about more stressing trolls. Right now, he just wanted rest. He figured the army was large enough for him not to follow along, at least, not immediately. Although the TPS he was given was starting to get a little shaky, Zindel didn't mind. He'd never owned an electronic device before, neither did he know how it normally worked. This was enough for him, even as a trial. Clutching onto the medkit he'd been supplied with, the redblood stopped infront of a large felled tree, practically dropping down and resting his head on what was left of the trunk. His body relaxed somewhat, and after musing some of his wet hair away from his sweaty face, the tall teen couldn't help but close his eyes. This is nice. It was quiet, save for the chattering of insects and the soft sound of grass and water rustling in the distance. It was peaceful, and definitely the type of rest he needed, at least for now.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2015 3:03 pm
Memories of the talk he and the blueblood female Sarcel had shared were still fresh on his thinkpan as he put as much distance between she and himself. Even if he'd managed to escape the conflict of the situation he worried the invisible troll could have changed her mind at a moments notice and been back after him. It wasn't like he wouldn't have been hard to track down at this point. Every few steps he would feel a bit of blood seep out and would fall to the ground below. Golden blood stained his dark slacks along with some of his mud coated boots. He'd never been shot before and had it hit until recently. Only once before, but the bullet hadn't hit it's target. Ironic then that over the course of three nights he'd been burned, shot multiple times and generally dragged through the mud. If he'd been any less stubborn or determined he might have collapsed and given up to find a semi dry patch of swamp moss or some none-sense and simply lay there.
That was for losers and quitters, and Stryke was neither. It would have been easy to believe he was doomed of course, but those thoughts were kept pushed back. Just keep going he reminded himself occasionally.
Gritting his teeth he forced himself to take another step, limping along was slow going however. Exhausted he finally relented just a little bit when he spotted an old tree that had seen better days. The faint sounds of the night and wild life was a dull rumble in his sponge clots as he slowly let himself slid down along its rough bark until his rear touched the soft earth bellow. Reaching for his own TPS, he lifted it up, giving it a curious look as he tapped it with his palm looking mildly alarmed. Seeing the electronic flicker as not something it'd done before. What did that even mean? "ssstupid thing don't you ******** dare die on me...i'm not dying in a gog forsssaken swamp alone." He groaned in frustration. The short teen pressed his forehead to the device muttering a frustrated string of swears. All his patience had dried up making it this far hobbling. When he heard it flicker on with life, he sighed in relief looking mildly embarrassed for his outburst even if believed himself alone. Good. At least it wasn't dead. It was bad enough he was traveling at half the speed he'd been before, but if the tracker went out how would he know where to go?
An audio-able click of teeth sounded as he closed his mouth in a quick agitated motion. This situation as a whole was bad, he couldn't stay here forever. Sweat beaded at his temples as he looked down at the device in his hands before letting out a long slow drawn out shattered sigh as he pulled his left leg to his chest not wanting to move his right leg more than necessary.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 10:57 am
A flashing red light on his TPS system warned him of a troll coming into range.
Zindel barely had time to register the technology's new development when he suddenly heard footsteps echo throughout the swamp. Lifting his head from the tree's bark abruptly, a sharp searing pain made him grab his head in pain. "Ngh..." He stayed still for a moment before inhaling and exhaling, looking at his TPS and watching it with lidded eyes.
There was movement behind him.
Swiftly he stood up, uncaringly digging the heel of his shoe in the mud and groaning in exhaustion. He definitely did not want to get up, but if it was a rebel Zindel wasn't about to let them kill him. He grabbed his dagger tightly in his hand with the med kit in the other, gripping it with a sort of nervous feeling one could only get when you're expecting a jump scare. He adjusted his cape and stood defensively, the burn scar on his nose making him swear in pain whenever he scrunched his face to make it look dangerous. Instead, he chose to sound dangerous, which also hurt. "Who— Tch, who's out there?" He said, eyes darting side to side. "I know you're there, you can't hide from me. Don't try to hide and attack me, it, it won't work. I can see exactly where you are." He said dully, hoping he wasn't called out on his bluff.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 4:17 pm
There was a little beep of activity as the TPS registered a dot on screen.
Stryke's eyes widened as he stared at the flickering. The body was extraordinarily close...too close in fact. The minor glitch in the feed had meant he didn't know he was walking right on top of another troll. When Stryke had spoken, it had been barely above his normal already soft speaking voice. Fear pulled at his pump biscuit, he couldn't run away he was too exhausted for that. At least he had his daggers close at hand.
Whose voice was that, and why was it vaguely familiar?
"why would i tell you who it isss?" He raised his voice enough to be heard, afraid to reveal his exact location. Even if he was on radar, he still had the advantage of being hidden behind the tree he’d found."you might as well forget what that tracker sssays...i don't want to hurt you, jussst go!" He winced as he pulled himself up to try and hobble away before he was caught. Again.
It took every fiber of his being not to scream when he stood up, covering his mouth to muffle the cry he clenched his teeth. He'd rather get tangled on plant matter and lie in the mud than deal with another member of the army right now. Of course that plan would have been a good one if he could actually keep himself up right.
One step, two...nope there was the ground again. The only saving grace was his knees were good at bracing his fall. Sighing he sat back on his arse, leaning into the solid back the tree had offered him. "oh for ******** sssake.." The yellowblood added with a sigh.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 10:29 pm
Before he could place who it was with certainty, irritation curled in him and Zindel rolled his eyes. "You ******** spoke, idiot. If you weren't giving yourself away you wouldn't-- Wait." Suddenly, he paused. The slight hiss of the voice's S's clued him into who it was before Zindel could properly react to his words. It took him a long second before the redblood blinked and almost relaxed, but he caught himself quickly, not letting himself feel anything until he was sure who it was. "Stryke?" He asked, slightly nervous. He wasn't sure, and he was mostly assuming, and if he was wrong he was definitely dead, and normally Zindel would leave the first chance he got but he was tired. If there was a chance he'd see a familiar face who wasn't out to kill him, he was definitely willing to take it. Anything was better than heading back to the royalist groups. "Is-- That you?" Hearing a thump and a soft curse, the redblood neared the area slowly, carefully, still holding onto his med kit and the dagger, the sound of a deep sigh only made him find the other faster, and when the redblood turned a tree, there he was, leaning back on it, looking like s**t. Zindel merely stood, staring at the yellowblood before squinting at him and walking closer, bending down and staring at his lame leg, stunned. "The hell happened to you?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 11:51 pm
Stryke heard the snarky tone in response and actually found it in him to halfheartedly give a small laugh. Maybe he shouldn't have spoken, he could have just stayed quiet and tried to crawl away and leave behind his TPS. "yea no ssshit i gave myself away. still don’t come any closs--....?" His voice trailed off when he heard his name. Oh god, they knew him by voice alone?
The sound of footsteps padded at the swampy earth before a figure came into his line of sight. They were tall and had long hair pulled back in a ponytail. As he stood over him, Stryke felt a mixture of relief to see someone he knew and fear given he didn't know what his intentions were. The redblood had the upper hand in this situation. "zindel...?" He asked slowly as he swallowed, his brows knitting together tightly as he breathed in through his nose as he sat up a little taller wishing he looked less like he felt.
He watched as the others eyes traveled to his right leg. Blood still found its way out occasionally, but it had slowed at least. He hadn't checked to see if there was any of the riot bullets still left behind. His fingers were muddy; it had seemed like a poor idea. "well.." Stryke looked away frowning under the others inspecting look the other troll used on him. "a sawed off ssshot gun to the leg at close range while fleeing." His gaze traveled back to the redblood as he spoke bluntly, his shoulders rounding slightly.
Stryke could see he was injured too. He wondered if it was more than the line of burn on his face. "what about you…what happened? are you…" Stryke's eyes searched the others features tiredly, not wanting to say okay. Neither one of them were, this whole situation wasn’t okay. Nor remotely fine in the slightest. It was too damn cliché to ask, but he wanted to. The unspoken question showed as he looked at him with concern.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:08 am
The redblood was still hesitant to interact with Stryke, and it showed. His palms were closed and his arms crossed, one leg pressed on the ground, the other held in his crossed arms. He whistled at his explanation, snaking a hand through his own hair and shaking is out, kind of nervous. Could anyone see him here? He glanced around, but they seemed to be in a relatively safe place. "Holy s**t. I thought the mission changed to capture, not kill." He murmured to himself, then again, remembered he said 'close range.' His eyes lowered, glancing down. "Mmmn. I get it now. It was to make you limp. Easier to catch someone alive when they can't move." He tapped his jaw and clicked his tongue, giving the other a humorous raise of his singed eyebrows. "Covered in napalm and burnt to a crisp. I probably look better than I feel, really."
It felt strange, how natural it felt talking to the other so calmly in a situation like this. He rolled his back with a stretch, dropping the medkit next to him before realizing how similar this was to their first meeting. This felt like a crazy reverse simulation of the night they met. Zindel was now the "hunter" in a way, and Stryke the "prey." Zindel could be a good soldier and take him, turn him in. But when was Alternian law ever strict? "I'm... Fine." He wasn't, really, but he was better off than Stryke at least, and not housing a deadly shot in the leg.
Zindel was internally struggling as he thought about what to do with the others leg.
Swallowing, the redblood considered his options. He could leave him there and not get into it. Then he'd probably get captured by another royalist and die. Or he'd bleed out and die. Both of which were not ideal. He could help him, but there was the possibility he'd attack him afterwards to— Somehow, he doubted that thought before it even crossed his mind. No one was around. Nothing would be affected if he somehow, with his limited expertise, helped him out. Zindel swallowed. What had the other even done for him to garner this? Oh. Yeah. He helped him take the glass out of his foot Zindel stole his money.
Guilt curled inside the redblood. Damnit. Letting his shoulders sag, the redblood finally made a decision when his hand reached down to open the medkit. He glanced at the others leg and ripped his cloak a little, using some swamp water to wipe away the mud around the affected area. It'd been a clean shot. Though Zindel didn't exactly know how to clean a wound, he could guess what it'd need from the things in the kit. He quickly cleaned his hands and set to work, trying to pull out the cartridge with his gritty fingers, hands trembling, nervous and unsure.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:07 pm
Stryke wasn’t sure what to think. He knew Zindel was here with the Empires forces. That had been made clear during the battle. With the medical kit and dagger in the redbloods grasp it was easy to feel conflicted. Truthfully given their history the yellowblood didn’t know what to expect. All the fight and vigor he’d had in him had been sapped away gradually after his encounter with the powered blueblood. “they looked like rubber pellets in all fairness. i got away, but it took a lot of convincing.” Shaking his head slightly he shrugged. Silence followed, minus the other dim sounds throughout the marshland and the occasional shuffling from Zindel.
On the offhand it might cause Sarcel trouble, Ryk didn’t bother elaborating on the situation. Hearing the world napalm made him cringe however, his mind traveling to his own burns. None really compared to what the redblood had endured. "fortunate then you're able to ssstill move.” He frowned. His eyes gave the other another quick once over. “you’re resssilience is admirable, you know.” There was a brief smile, although it was fleeting.
His breathing was harsh when the other reached over with the wet torn cloth he used to clear the grime. Was it safe to trust him? Stryke really wasn’t at liberty to deny the assistance, nor was he willing to hurt the other unless Zindel forced his hand. He tried to keep from making too much of a fuss as he checked his wounds. It was a slow process, given the others obvious lack of experience with the given supplies. Stryke's mind wandered to a dark possibility. What if a drone found them or some other member of his team? Stryke’s watched him fumble with the medical supplies. “w-wait..what if sssomeone sssees us? i don’t want you in trouble on my account.” Stryke protested, one of his fangs pressing into his bottom lip.
Leaning forward, his forehead briefly touched the others shoulder. Each circular hole had various stages of severity. Yet gradually with muffled screams Styke bit back, they were removed. It was agonizing but he didn't complain beyond teeth clashing, or a pained grunt. Despite the initial discomfort, the area hurt less without foreign objects. It now made sense why every step had been previously difficult. Staring at Zindel for a long while he finally hesitantly spoke again. "thank you by the way...” It was quieter than usual, but had been uttered regardless.
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 4:28 pm
"It pierced your skin pretty bad, I think. I suck at medical stuff so you're just going to have to deal with me." Zindel murmured, pulling one out and dropping it in the mud, searching for another. When his hand slid over another dripping wound, he carefully dug his finger in, feeling a little disgusted but uncaring at the moment. The sharp smell of blood hit his nose the second he inched closer, almost lifting his hand to cover it before realizing both his hands were covered in the others blood, mentally facepalming. He chuckled dryly at his compliment before glancing up at him. "Yeah. I'm like a cockroach." He murmured thoughtfully, mind wandering to another place as he picked it out and dropped another on the ground, wiping the yellow blood on his pants and narrowing his eyes at him and his warnings. There was no one around, they were too far ahead. But of course, he couldn't say that, so he settled for loud huff. "Shut up and stay quiet, then. Besides, I don't have anyone that particularly cares, anyways." He grumbled, feeling his pump biscuit drop as he remembered seeing Etsali and Ephias on the other side during their battle. He swallowed a dryly as he remembered Voscil race away, teeth clenching, a small amount of anger pouring into him. That was what he got, trusting trolls. They never really stuck with you. You always end up being alone. He should've never...
Stryke leaning on his shoulder pulled him out of his anger, but he merely sighed, not even bothering to shove him off-- The other must've been tired and exhausted, he was sure. Releasing a tired sigh, the redblood felt his eyes drop to his leg again before sliding his hands to the med kit, pulling out the disinfectant wipes and wiping the area down before hearing the others' sincere thank you. His eyes widened somewhat in surprise and the redblood fumbled a little, a red flush spreading across his face. "I-- I never helped you." He stated plainly, refusing to say your welcome and placing a wipe on the area, taking the gauze from the kit. He wrapped it around the others leg, swallowing hard before tying it up tightly. "Alright. I think... I'm done." He murmured, sitting back and admiring his handiwork, mouth pressed into a firm line. He slowly closed the kit before crossing his arms, hands squeezing his elbows tightly, feeling like he might've made a mistake.
Then again, it would only be a mistake if someone found out. He quickly stood up, adjusting his cloak. "I... I have to go." He said, voice tired. He just wanted this night to end, honestly.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 4:25 am
Stryke didn't watch most of the process but he'd remember the brief glances he caught occasionally. His mind wandered, uncertain what to focus on really. When he noticed the other blush when he'd been nothing but honest he felt heat creeping on his cheeks in a dusting of gold. "tsk, if you say so." The smaller male retorted finally with a tired note to his voice as he tried to take this opportunity to rest even if it was more akin to a painful catnap. Many times he'd wanted to scream in pain, but he was afraid it would attract attention. His mind turned from the pain to the situation between them. He wasn't really sure they were seeing eye to eye or not, but call it as you will, Stryke wanted to just believe that he would live to see another day. He'd already hit rock bottom, this actually felt like a small victory he could take solace in.
When it came time to wrap the leg it required moving which he did so begrudgingly. "you're not a cockroach, it's called survivalist there is no reason to put yourself down." He growled faintly at the other, before refraining from adding more. The other's handy work wasn't spectacular but he was much better off than he had been. Sucking in a sharp breath, he watched as the other got up. Just like that he had the assistance of another troll--one whose assistance would remain a secret that he would take with him to his death (no troll graves!) if that was the only way to repay their kindness.
"hey zindel? try to be sssafe." Stryke added quietly, slowly drawing the hood of his cloak as a makeshift emotional shield from the outside world for all the good it did him. Stryke never had been the best with goodbyes. He hated them in fact, he'd rather it be until we meet again preferably. In this case he wasn't sure if it was wise they meet so he settled for the sentiment of safety, as dangerous as that was in the world of Alternia.
He waited to stand up; he didn't want to move just yet. Stryke reached for the TPS studying it; it was flickering with a low signal. piece of crap! What was wrong with it? As soon as Zindel put some distance between them he would have to get moving deeper into the terrain up north.
There was no telling when low signal would result in a complete loss of transmission.
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2015 5:29 pm
"Whatever you say." Zindel murmured under his breath, adjusting his uniform and pulling the hood on his cloak up. He was thankful Stryke wasn't a screamer when it came to cleaning his wounds-- That would've immediately gotten the attention of nearby trolls. Hearing his words-- To try be safe, the redblood couldn't help but look away, a little embarrassed. "You... you too." He muttered, tall figure walking away from the yellowblood-- He needed to make some distance between the two of them. That way... They'd be able to go their separate ways.
Heading south, the redblood walked away, wondering if what he did was right... Or a terrible, horrible mistake.
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