She breathed hard with her back against a tree, splattered in blood and gore, the tall black haired woman stared at her aggressors with all the hate and anger that she was capable of. Her knuckles were white against the hilt of her sword as they surrounded her, now knowing that she wasn't as harmless as she looked, having only one arm. The leather armour she was wearing was in shreds, her chest plate and her arm and leg guards, but the wounds had more or less healed, the blood that covered her body was already dry, despite being fairly fresh.

Larka's eyes were blood red, almost demon like, as she stared down the last of the orcs that had attacked her. She had been travelling alone, which was stupid of her really, when she and they had run into each other. Sensing an easy target and deciding to have some fun, the orcs, all ten of them, had attacked the lone human female.

But what they got instead was a hell of a fight against an opponent using a sword and techniques they hadn't encountered before in a human. Larka had killed three of them before they had a chance to react and back away and rethink what they had gotten into. The remaining seven attacked again and Larka was able to fend them off, but she had taken her share of wounds as well, and they got a further surprise when the human suddenly started to grow stronger as the fight dragged on. Not only that, but each time some of their blood got onto her skin it sizzled and popped and dried and her own wounds sealed up, preventing her death from blood loss.

Larka needed to keep the fight going until the end, however, if it didn't continue, her body would begin to 'cool down' as Reavers called it; when her powers would recede to allow her body to rest. If that happened now, she'd be dead, too tired to continue fighting, she needed the pressure of battle to maintain her strength. To that end, Larka, with her whip like sword gave a battle cry and charge the remaining three orcs like a mad woman.

Something felt off about today. Death was inevitable and Angela was always passing presents off to Dalanesca. She was sure that her sister Goddess did the same when passing reincarnation bound souls back to Ang. They were a cycle. They were true sister goddesses. Angela waved her hand as she felt the roaring anger leave this world. She was worried it was Toya finally but that was bad considering she had Sparrow still in her womb.

The red haired goddess pushed herself out of the seat of her throne as she waved her hands. The space and reality of the Gardens began to move like water. It rippled and left a gate open to the Plains of Bohar.

The golden fabric of her dress hit the grass first. Her green eyes were closed as she held her arms out feeling the tall grasses she was walking through. “You feel like the idiot but you aren’t.” Her words weren’t spoken but the intent was there as she watched the group from a distance.

She had never seen anyone on Toya’s wavelength before. It was interesting since there was no madness escaping her mind. The doctor knew for a fact that this woman was saner than her sister. Maybe this woman was going to be her solution to the madness that boiled in Toya’s soul. Or maybe this would just make Toya worse. There was a roll of the goddess’s eyes.

The earthly objects of the area had a golden tint to them in her presence. She was sure that once this settled down that it would be noticed. Friend or foe? It mattered not. The Plains of Bohar were an earthly shore and she could bring it down it she wanted, not that she would. She wasn’t like her old brothers and sisters of old. Angela’s fingers gripped the edges of the grass and watched Larka. Maybe no matter the outcome she would talk to this woman.

This would be interesting regardless.

Larka and the orcs collided and Larka dropped low and slashed at their legs, making gashes, but their tough hide was difficult for her blade in whip for to properly cut through. She needed to make a solid strike with the blade in normal form for it to be totally affecting, she was using it in whip state to make distance between them as best she could.

The Reaver ducked under a sword and came up against the attacker bringing her sword back together and ran the blade up from his belly to chest, carving him open. He was dead before he hit the ground, however, Larka's blade became caught in his ribs so when he went down and Larka couldn't get her blade out she was forced to let it go or get dragged down with his bulk.

Desperately Larka tried to get the blade out from the corpse when she was unable to remove it, she turned as she went to draw the rapier that was in the sheath attached to her other sword's sheath. She stopped suddenly with a grunt as a pain suddenly radiated from her chest area and she could taste copper. She looked down to see an orc's blade sticking into her chest just at the end of her ribs on an upward angle. The orc removed the blade, it was only a dagger and rammed it into her chest again and then her belly before allowing her to drop to the ground to bleed out.

Larka slumped to the ground, but instead of her heart starting to slow from blood loss it rammed its pace up ten fold! It was a mortal wound, she could die from this wound, but her Reaver powers would give her one final moment to kill the orcs before she herself would perish.

As the last two orcs started to walk away they stopped as what they thought was now a corpse started to laugh manically and get to its feet. Larka's eyes were totally red now, no black in them at all, blood poured from her wounds, yet here she stood still somewhat alive. “Your kind killed my family, now I'm going to KILL YOU!” When she ended her sentence a wave of sonic energy came from her mouth in a bellow strong enough to knock the two orcs off their feet.

Larka was moving instantly after that, moving with inhuman speed grabbed one of them by a wrist and stamped on his back with her booted foot. For a woman her size she was able to keep the orc pinned while it scrambled to get away as Larka started to pull for all her might on his arm. With a howl of rage from the human she tore the orc's arm off with sheer force making the beast howl in its own pain. She then tossed the limb aside and went on to tear off its other arm in the same manner before stamping on his head a few times before her eyes caught sight of the last one making a run for it.

Screaming in rage Larka gave chase and easily caught the terrified orc, jumping onto its back and driving to the ground. They rolled but Larka came out on top and started wailing on the orcs face, punch after punch. But she didn't kill it right away, instead she took a moment to break each of its joints before placing her fist against his face and pouring all her strength into pushing down, until finally with a sickening squelch, her fist hit the ground on the other side.

It was over, and it seemed that Larka was as well as she stood and took a few steps before her body gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Larka's vision went dark for a moment before she started to see random colours of the random, her last thought was that of despair of never finding Celeste.

Angela found herself watching quite the show. This woman was on the same level as her sister and yet the rage didn’t quite feel like Toya. She gripped the edges of the grass and broke them. She watched orc after orc fall as she moved closer to the raging woman. It didn’t matter if Angela got in the middle, the Voice had made it clear. It wasn’t her time to die just yet. She had a job to Revaliir to do and right now she was curious about this woman.

When it was finally over, screaming and all, Angela gave a smirk. She burnt herself out. A candle burning at both ends. How unique but familiar she was. She tilted her head and finally entered the bloody battle field. Her bare feet felt the slush of flesh beneath her as she walked closer. “Tell me, what would you give to have another moment in this world?” The words broke the reality barrier as they entered Angela’s domain.

The realm of colors shifted and Angela stood before Larka’s soul. “What would you give to have another moment in our realm? You remind me of someone and because of that, I’m willing to listen to you. You who fight with the ferocity of a dragon and remind me so much of my sister Toya.”

Angela reached out and held her hand to the broken woman. “Make a bargain with me and I’ll rid you of this place. If you refuse I’ll give you to the woman at the end of this tunnel.” The darkness was swirling and approaching slowly eating Angela’s rainbow trying to make its way to Larka, however, it didn’t dare get close to Angela. She was in its way and knew her job wasn’t yet done.

A voice, Larka could hear it clearly, but, was she not dead? Then why could she still think? She could see the tunnel of colours, things weren't making sense to her. There was a woman before her, Larka's mind swam, even in death the battle and its ending had taken such a tole on her body that her spirit itself was tired. This woman was speaking to her spirit directly, offering a chance to go back to the realm of the living, of course, it may have a price, everything did, mercenaries knew this well.

“Toya? Your sister?” Larka questioned. “I know her, she has helped me as well, I made a deal with her, to help protect her family in exchange for dragon's blood.” Larka spoke looking to see that the darkness was closing in, but this woman seemed to be holding it back. The offered hand before her Larka looked to. “I am indebted to one of your family already, another is fine I believe. I don't know what I can offer, aside from what I have given your sister, I have nothing, I only came to these lands to look for my wife.” Larka explained as she reached for the offered hand before her, her spirit weak still but now that she had another chance she was getting some strength back, as it were. “There are few prices I am unwilling to pay to find my wife, please, take me back to the living so I may continue my search, and I'll do what you ask of me.” Larka said, knowing that such an open ended option could be dangerous, but, what other choice did she have? She saw no other alternatives at this time, she had nothing of value, nothing that she was willing to give away at least. On her body was three wedding rings, but she'd sooner loose her last arm before she gave them away, though she knew that Celeste would understand the need of it.

Something in Larka broke and tears started to pour down her spirit's cheeks and she stepped closer to the stranger, attempting to embrace her tightly. “Please, I'm terrified of death.” She confessed, a deep secret that Larka kept at the bottom of her heart, not even Celeste knew Larka's true fears of death, though she may have had suspicions.

Angela chuckled a bit and looked behind her. “Toya is my youngest sister. It does not shock me that you met the ill tempered one. Your soul reminded me of hers when you fight. That’s why I came here. I thought I felt her fighting.” The goddess’s fingers entangled with Larka’s. Her touch was warm unlike the cold around them. “My sister might be able to offer Dragon’s Blood but I am something much more. They call me the Mother in these lands and in Parvpora where gods do not reign I am a legend among them. The things I offer no one else can.”

The Mother wrapped her arms around Larka as she came to her and Angela kissed the top of her head. “You do not need to fear death, my child. See death is one of my good friends. She is my best friend… My sister. If I tell her your souls belongs to me she wouldn’t think twice about it. Everyone including gods are afraid of death. It is something that will eventually happen to everyone even us immortals. We will become husks to the Voice and our souls ripped asunder. But you Larka are not lost today.” Angela disappeared from Larka and in the real reality, Angela dragged her soul back.

She placed Larka back into her body and picked the mangled woman up. A bed of stone appeared and she laid Larka down. It was the softest bed ever created even though it was stone. This was her magic. “Wake up… Your body shall hurt no more and your wounds will heal.”

Her warm magic was much like the feeling of love of a mother. Her whole presence was warm and inviting. She was the embodiment of motherly. “It doesn’t shock me that my sister asked you to watch over her family. She has lost much in her years.” She kissed Larka’s forehead and let her healing magic fill the woman’s body. “What I would like from you… is your skills as a fighter. Once in a while, I need a person to do my bidding. The will of Life and Earth.”

Her youngest sister was Toya, interesting, ill tempered was right though.  The woman spoke more, of what she could offer Larka compared to what Toya was with the dragon's blood, though Larka needed the blood to survive as well.  Mother, in these lands, Larka clung to her, feeling the woman kiss her head as she did, saying that she did not need to fear death, for she knew death as a sister, able to say that Larka's soul belonged to her and not death.  Wait, did that mean that this woman was a Goddess?

Before she could ask her Larka felt herself being moved, away from the darkness and passed the rainbows before she felt air in her lungs as she breathed in once more from her body.  Her eyes opened, she was alive!  The woman was a Goddess!  Larka slowly sat up, she was a soft bed of… stone, Larka could feel no pain, in fact as she looked herself over, as tired as she felt, she was wounded no more, her clothing was a wreck still but that didn't matter.  The feeling of warmth radiated through her entire body, like a mother's embrace, and after a bit longer Larka felt her strength return to her and she felt tired no longer.

She stood slowly and looked around at what she had done, once since becoming a Reaver had she seen what they were capable of when mortally wounded as she had been.  It was chaos, to say the least, and violent to an extreme, and now she was back from death, and able to see what she had done before she went down, and it put things into a new perspective for her.  She looked to Angela and went to her, embracing her again tightly.  "Thank you, Mother, thank you."  Larka spoke as she wiped a few tears from her eyes as she stepped back a little from Angela.  "For what you have done for me, the least I can do is fight for you when you call upon me."  Larka replied.  "My mission to find my wife is still foremost, I'm sorry, but when you call I will be there for you."

Angela asked of Larka why it was that she needed to make such a deal for a supply of dragon's blood.  Larka thought a moment, the least she could do was explain.  "I need it to live.  I am what is called a Reaver, I mean, I'm human, but as a warrior back home were are called Reavers.  Our powers are granted by drinking a concoction of ingredients and dragon's blood, the older the dragon the better.  The first time it is drank there is a chance it will kill you instead, but at the time I had nothing else to live for so I took the chance."  She explained.  "In battle, as we get wounded we actually grow stronger, it's difficult to explain how it works, and I truly don't understand it that well myself, but it does work.  A cut do much, but a gash or a stab wound is noticeable, and the more wounds we get the stronger we become, pushing the limits of what our natural bodies can do.  But, as blood is spattered onto our bodies we absorb the power in it and heal our wounds, normally just enough to stop from bleeding to death.  But we retain the strength from healed wound and it compounds onto new wounds.  You probably saw my roaring ability if you were watching, that's another ability we have, the only that we can control really, everything else just happens."  Larka took a deep breath, sadly she wanted a drink, but where was her backpack?  "And, of course, you can see what happens when we get mortally wounded, but not out right killed, we get pushed beyond what our bodies can take, whatever race we are, our agility excels as well, I could run as fast as the human body is capable of.  We have to drink the concoction every month to maintain our strengths, if we don't go into withdrawal and, well it's not a pretty end.  Your sister, Toya, saved me.  I came over on a boat, I had a supply of blood with me, but I ran out just before landing, but I misjudged how much time I had and ended up passing out in Sularia where Toya found me and where we made our deal."  Larka explained and for now went quiet to let that all sink in and let Angela ask anything else she wanted to.

Angela waved her hand towards Larka as if brushing off that what she had done was something extraordinary. “Consider it part of the job.” The redhead gave Larka a wink. “Dear Larka, I would never call on you unless you could in fact come. As long as you walk on land I can see you, I know where you are, and even in Parvpora, I have an inkling. If you need to find your wife first, then do so. My requests can always wait until that moment. I am good at the waiting game.”

Tilting her head Angela was quick to ask about what she was and about why she needed the blood. It was interesting to hear it and it wasn’t uncommon to hear tales of this from people. “My sister as ill-tempered as she is… can be quite the ally to have. She is a good person deep down under the sass and brooding that she does. You have made yourself an invaluable friend in Toya. She is loyal like a wolf… Just like the man she is married to. I find it refreshing but also dread having to deal with her personality as it is more like a dragon.”

In a calming motion, Angela held Larka and pet the woman’s hair as she thought about it. “Sounds like something Toya would do though. She has never been one to admit when she needed me. In all honesty, she probably opted not to take you to a doctor because you would get taken to me and have to deal with me… Her being able to help you was probably a fluke. She was probably going to have my daughter Belle be the one to treat you.” Angela chuckled a bit. “What a little brat. I am glad that she was able to help you Larka…”

For a few moments, she was silent as she thought about it. "Is there any questions you have or wants you have… Requests you have. Since you are helping my family and are in service to Toya I can grant you a great number of requests since I will know where to find you."

Larka smiled at Angela's words about not call unless she knew Larka could make it, and would know that since she would know where Larka was almost anywhere her feet touched land.  "Thank you."  Was all the Reaver could say to that before going on further about her powers and answering the Goddess' questions accordingly.  Angela's remarks made Larka grin, it was comforting to be in this woman's arms, and not for the usual reasons Larka would find herself in a woman's arms either.  It had been some time, two years, since anyone had held Larka such as this, Celeste was the last to do so.  Larka had no idea how much she had missed that feeling of comfort until now.

"I'm glad as well, your family and I seem to be entwined already, despite how short of time I have been here in these lands."  She chuckled lightly.  "Fate's always had a funny way with me it seems, from when I was born until now, for a human I've lived a lot in forty years I feel."  She chuckled lightly before a time of silence passed between them, Angela breaking it asking if Larka had any questions or requests.  She thought for a moment and shook her head.  "No, not at the moment I don't.  As long as I know that you're watching over me that's enough I believe.  I live day to day normally, I wonder around as a mercenary, I get around fairly well for someone who doesn't like horses or boats."  She chuckled again and smiled again to Angela, feeling that their time together was soon over, Larka needed to move on and she figured that someone like Angela had other things to attend to.  "Thank you again, Angela, you very literally saved my life today, I can't thank you enough.  I'll find Celeste, I know she's alive, I can feel it, I won't stop, and nothing will stop me, until I find her.  Today, I believe, was proof of that, we were meant to be come together in this way, perhaps in the future there will be a further why this day turned out as it did?"  Larka suggested, believing that, for the most part, things happened for a reason on a larger scale, though smaller day to day things were down to the individual to control.

She squeezed a hug to Angela one last time before removing herself from the Goddess' arms and she carefully stepped around the bodies to find her things.  She looked back to Angela one last time and nodded with a smile before turning to starting to walk away.


[OOC:  And done :) ]