~ Rising Danger ~ (Open)

[Cindralic]

Cindralic was not the type to walk all around his territory and go on needless missions. He had plenty of people to do that for him, spies, scouts, troops to patrol the borders of Angmar. Why would Cindralic risk his own life going and doing things that others would do for him? True, he did not want to great and completely unveil his intensions and his power just yet to the world but he didn’t mind slinky and hiding in the shadows for just a bit longer either. Timing was everything and in this instance, it wasn’t the right time for the world to know that there was an ancient elf willing ill intentions in Angmar. That would most surely get the attention of the rangers, or even worse the wizards. Cindralic was content to let Gandalf the Grey and Saruman the White focus their efforts on Sauron, on the East and not on him. So, Cindralic, in the same way that Melkor used Sauron, had his own commanders that would go and search and his eyes and ears. Cindralic had several commanders, the first was a man named Garthen, a man from Frodowaith, the other was an elf, darkened by Cindralic’s will named Darius. Darius had been sent, not to the elven realms of Rivendell or Lorien, but to the ancient word of Greenwood which was quickly becoming known as Mirkwood because of the evil rising in Dol Guldur. It was that very evil that Darius was to investigate. He would, or least, should not encounter a tremendous amount of suspension or resistance, being that he was an elf and could appear as any normal elf should. Darius did not have the same darkness to him that Cindralic now carried. Darius carried himself well, a tall, well build elf, long flowing dark hair, darker than most, but eyes green as the sea. He traveled ahead of his party which numbers were small to not draw attention. Any normal party of elves or men in such lands would arose suspicion of Thranduil, another elven lord that Cindralic did not wish to engage at this particular year.

Darius was an excellent tracker, an excellent hunter and an even better negotiator. He was quick with his tongue, excellent with his wit. A game a riddles was not going to be won with Cindralic’s captain. Darius was the brain and Garthen was the brawn. Darius traveled quickly, part of the reason he was so far ahead of his pack. He was on foot but, like the elves of old, he could move from tree to tree, traversing the land as though it was his own and he had known it for years. Darius wore cloaks of brown and grey, no black or arousing colors. He was wearing a travelers clothes. He mission was to get as close to Dol Guldur as possible and find out the whereabouts of what was beginning to be called the necromancer. Secondly, he was to find out about Thranduil and his movements in response to Dol Guldur. Of course, that was to be on an observational level only. Darius didn’t need to stop but for the sake of his company he chose to slow, dropping silently and gracefully from a tree, he landed onto the forest floor. His eyes scanned, watched and he listened. He smirked. They were a league away and they were running at full pace. Never send men with elves. He moved his hands over the ground, looking at the dirt, moving his hands over the needles and leaves. Spiders. Vile creatures indeed but they left such definitive marks. No use looking for elven tracks, they didn’t exist.

[Lady Kaya]

Thus far, Kaya’s adventure had been interesting to say the least. She’d met a ranger from Dunedain, but they’d learn to come across their differences and had spoken long into the night. Initially it had been hard to tell whether he was friend or foe, but no foe would spare her life when he could have taken it within moments. Either way, it was an encounter she hadn’t been expecting and it made her curious of what was to come. She knew how shadowed the Mirkwood forests had become, and she knew that at any moment, she could be attacked. Her senses were on high alert, which was exhausting, but helped to keep her safe. Being a lone traveler, that was something that was of first priority, regardless of how draining it was.

As she walked, her thoughts drifted to her father and their memories together. It saddened her, but she couldn’t help letting them embrace her. They were what, perhaps, made her as strong as she was. The drive to always push forward and fight for the greater good – never giving up hope. It was what kept her lonely heart filled with warmth as she made her travels through the forest and into the deeper and more dangerous realms of Middle-earth. Of course, she was still in Mirkwood, but she had to start somewhere, right?

Continuing, she glanced up at the sky to see sundown approaching. That was a sure sign that she should find a place to rest for the evening. She’d been walking for a day and a half straight and was quite exhausted. The thick shelter of the trees would be her nesting ground for the night, but as she moved towards what looked to be a promising area, she heard a noise in the slight distance. It wasn’t one that she recognized and near immediately she felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her. Any signs of previous exhaustion were gone as the curious elf began to silently make her way towards the ever so quiet noise.

She stopped when she saw someone stand from a knelt position and hid behind some brush. Her heart was racing but she focused on keeping her breathing calm and even. Quietly setting her bag down, she moved and grabbed her bow and arrow, stringing it and then drawing it back to aim at the stranger she’d just seen. She didn’t know whether he was an enemy or not, so for now she just observed…waiting any sign of hostility.

[Cindralic]

Darius ran his fingers over the markings again, looking down the path a little to see where it was that they had wandered. Darius knew well enough. All evil things ended up in Dol Guldur these days. Darius smirked at his luck. All he had to do was follow these tracks all the way to the ancient fortress so he could observe. Darius looked behind him to the party following. They were still a good distance away. Darius looked back down at the ground, looking as the tracks leading down into the forest were marked so clearly by the decaying leaves and undergrowth. Darius smirked and took one of the decaying leaves, rubbing it into his hands. He took his hands to his nose, smelling the decay. It was a good smell. Darius wiped his hands, walking a few feet forward, moving his hands over the trunk of one of the tall oaks. The next moment Darius was up in the tree about twenty feet, looking down into the foliage below. Darius raised an eyebrow as he watch a bit of the thicket several yards away move just a tad. There wasn’t any noise beside the leaves rustling. Darius smiled as he moved to the next tree closer to the bush before leaping down without a sound. It wasn’t an animal because it would have moved by now, fled the scene. Well this would be entertaining. It wasn’t a spider because Darius would sense that sort of presence and besides, they had all moved on from this location. Darius removed his hood, let his long dark hair run down over his shoulders. His cold eyes peered into the brush. He ran his hands through his hair to pull back his long bangs and then he ran his hands down to his waist and pulled out the two curved daggers bade with black steel. He licked his lips in delight. Darius took the first dagger and he extended his arm, throwing the dagger into the brush where he saw the movement, waiting to hear something, make something move, scare something away. Darius rolled to his left, making a tisking noise as he walked closer. “I suppose you aren’t a little rabbit or a skunk after all. You should run by now if you were. To whom do I owe the pleasure of our little encounter here? Should I do my hair perhaps, freshen up or should I bring out big sword to duel with, man to man?” Pride, he reeked of it. He was gloating, toying, playing with his prey, whatever, whoever it was. He didn’t even bother to take up much of a defensive position. Just walked in a circular pattern right around where he had presumed he saw the rustle in the bush. He kept the hand holding the knife in front, his left hand behind him, which had already grabbed hold of a smaller blade, concealed behind him in his cloaks.

[Lady Kaya]

As the elf remained hidden behind a brush of trees, she kept her bow drawn, focusing on the man who seemed to be scanning the area around him. However, he wasn’t visible for long. Within a moment of her drawing the arrow, he leapt into the trees. A hardened look fell in her eyes out of frustration. She hadn’t been anticipated that, and thus made him much harder to follow given the lush foliage that now encompassed the canopy. Regardless, she kept her bow fixated on the spot where he’d vanished, wondering just what he was doing and where he was going.

A few more minutes passed before she finally heard anything. Though, what she heard was not at all what she was expecting. Instead of a voice or a bustle, she caught wind of a dagger slashing through the area around her, ultimately marking itself in a tree not a foot from her. Shortly after, a voice rang out…challenging her to show herself.

How in the world had he known she was there? It made her heart race fast than she could imagine as she remained hidden for the moment. That was impossible! There was only one race that could detect her kind of movement – elves. But, that didn’t make any sense. Given the sinister hint in his voice, he didn’t sound too friendly. Any of the elves around Mirkwood sided with good, but this wasn’t the case with this creature.

Her jaw locked for a moment, the muscles in her body tensing as she’d been caught. What did she do now? Did she run? No, Kaya didn’t run. But, to face an enemy such as this was risky. Although she was strong and could defend herself under most circumstances, the agility of an elf was nothing to be underestimated. The last thing she wanted was to become captive to some sadistic bastard’s company. However, it was either show herself, or be hunted. And Kaya hated the latter of those two options.

So, inhaling deeply, the elf emerged from the brush – the bow still taut and drawn, targeted on the elf’s head. “Who are you? And what are you doing in my realm?” She commanded, fear absent from her words. The words of her father guided her, giving her strength as she faced her enemy with pride. “You’re not welcome here.” She scowled, her earthy eyes hardened and cold as she moved a few steps closer, trudging in on enemy territory – showing the dark elf she was not afraid.

[Cindralic]

Well fancy that. She was an elf like him, a little younger no doubt, a little less hardened by the world. Not to surprise because she had probably never been out of this great wood. She was probably some stuck up princess that didn’t know how to handle herself in truly dangerous situations. She probably had some guard or escort nearby to protect her, but if that was the case, Darius couldn’t sense them or hear them so they must have been quite the escort. Darius’s grip on both of his daggers loosened just a bit as he eyed down the point of the arrow, down the shaft, to the tight strung pulled back by two fingers of the she elf. Darius raised his nostrils in a bit of a snarl, smirking as she claimed the forest as her own. That was a statement indeed, especially given the decaying state of the wood and the definite evil presence creeping within. “Your woods hmm? Last time I checked, Thranduil was the king of these woods so unless you are some distant relative of his then I think you should check your words a little more carefully. You know, elves can hear things from quite a ways away. You never know who might be listening to your words. That being said, who are you to welcome me or to condemn me to these woods having no greater claim to its lands than I?” Darius asked, his words smooth, drenching with sarcasm and dripping with a pure sinister nature. Darius’s eyes followed from the arrow to her fingers, up her arm, his poise was well taught, her, stance was elegant. He watched the curls on her shoulders, her eyes, coldly looking at him in an untrusting manner. He had seen those types of eyes before. She would not be the first to stare at him in such a manner and would not be in the last. Darius’s hands loosely held his blades so they could be released from his hands quickly should he need to throw them. Darius still had the upper hand because he knew that his travelling party was lurking behind him, still a ways off, but close enough by to be there should he decide to get himself into some trouble. After all, it was definitely his decision whether he wanted to be stubborn and arrogant. “Your woods, as you so quaintly put, are not as beautiful as they once were. Does the darkness trouble you? Does the stench of the evil intentions wreak havoc on your senses? Does it cause you to toss and turn in your sleep, for your very skin to dampen your pretty blouse in a cold sweat when you awake? Does it scare you? Do I scare you?” Darius asked? Of course he had a very good idea of where he was going with this. His stance remained neutral, not moving very much but his eyes were keenly watching her fingers should she decide to release them even the slightest and release her arrow. He didn’t need any mistakes on this journey.

[Lady Kaya]

When the elf spoke of Thranduil like he was friend to this obvious enemy, ever fiber in her being begged to attack him. Thranduil was her king, and she would always look up and respect him as such. But, she also knew that he wouldn’t want plague like this in their lands. “Greenwood is my home, and as such it is my duty to protect its threshold from plague like you.” She snarled, showing courage where most would cower. True, however, the elf standing before her did cause the adrenaline to begin to course through her veins. Fear was not entirely absent from Kaya…that she knew.

It was then that he began to speak of her home becoming covered by a shadow. It caused her eyes to take in her surroundings…noticing just how true his words were. Greenwood was now being called Mirkwood…no lively and festive colors…just darkened trees covering a brewing evil. She had no idea what it was, or why it was happening, but she knew she had to try to stop it. Though, she had to admit, wandering in only the company of herself, was not the best way to do it. But, it had been her hopes to maybe meet some personalities along the road that would accompany her. She hadn’t been expecting to run into danger this soon.

With the arrow still taught, she let her eyes travel to his. “I do not fear the unknown. It is what perhaps keeps this world in its balance. Fear is weakness.” She scowled lightly, the arrow still targeted on the elf, though she felt her grip loosen a bit. She had no intention to shoot unless he made to attack first, which technically he already had. But, she was actually rather curious of what he was doing. “What is your business in these woods?” Her voice was still cautious, but it wasn’t as threatening as it had been before.

[Cindralic]

Darius curled his lip as he looked over the woman, his eyes cold and relentless, piercing, like he was looking right through her, like she was nothing to him and she no bearing on his life at all. It was as if he looked at the arrow and so nothing of danger. Perhaps it was boldness. To some it came off as arrogance and to others it came off as stupidity. For Darius it was simply the fact that he believed in the very thing she said. Fear was weakness and he greatly desired to rid himself of it and had done so long ago. He could stare down an arrow, stare down a pack of wargs, an army Dunedian rangers and show no fear. Perhaps that was why is eyes were so different. It was as if he didn’t have a soul. She was a strong woman though. She held herself well. Perhaps it was years of training in some palace or at the foot of the elven king himself. Darius licked his lips as he took to steps forward. They were intimidating steps, strong and menacing. He kept his one blade behind his back, letting the other blade drop from his exposed hand, sticking in the ground. His blades were sharp on both edges. Even his handle was a blade. No need to have a weapon be anything less. “No fear of the unknown? Perhaps that is where you find your troubles my dear. Perhaps you know exactly what I am and what I have come to do and that is what scares you.” Darius pressed himself against the arrow that she held notched in her bow, letting her feel the rising and falling of his chest. He had a steady heartbeat, another indication n that he was not scared. It was ironic that she asked him about his business in Mirkwood. He was going to tell her anyway. Perhaps her timing was better than she had anticipated. His words practically hissed out at her as he spoke. “I have come to kill your land. These woods will soon be surrounded by darkness. They will be haunted by plagues, by ghosts and creatures from the void that have no good thought or intent. This wood will be that of my master and you will live to see it done. Full of evil and vile creatures these woods will be, surrounded by hate and danger, much like you find yourself now.” Darius smirked as his words rung true. His movements closer to her, his eyes intent on her were all to draw her attention, keep her focused. The three elves in the party that Darius had outdistanced had caught up, the men were still behind but Kaya and Darius could hear the notching and pulling of three arrows in three bows. “Surrounded.” He hissed. He didn’t need to tell her the arrows were aimed at her. She knew. She could feel it.