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Post by Kiin on Mar 8, 2019 0:52:05 GMT
Ava would awaken in the dirt, with strange feelings of pain rattling her body. On her skin would be random cuts and bruises - what happened before she blacked out? That remained unclear. Though, what would be quite apparent was the growing sound of chanting and shouting coming from behind her. As she came to her senses, she would see she was in a forest, perhaps one she did not recognize, and laid off the beaten path. Through the trees, however, she could hear that someone was approaching, and based on her current state, it would be wise to assume they were not friendly.
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Post by ava on Mar 9, 2019 3:02:58 GMT
It was the flaring waves of pain that washed over Ava's petite frame that brought her back to reality. Eyes fluttering against the fading suns wraith she lay there among decaying leaves and rotting wood. Slowly the world around her came into focus. Where once the blurry browning leaves were nothing but a single mass she could now pick out each one in great detail even the expertly hidden bugs that danced ever so slowly against the gentle breeze. Just how long had she laid here... more importantly where was here?
Forcing herself upright Ava slid across the earthen forest floor till her back brushed against the hard bark of a nearby tree. Taking a the chance to gather her scattered thought she examined her body. Aside from a few scratches and the odd bruise it seemed she was in one piece. Aside from the slightest sting when moving the wrong way the minor injuries weren't going to impede her to any great degree; after all she had experience worse and more or less walked away. With a dull thud of steel on steel Ava's metallic fingers traced the components which composed her artificial limbs. Unlike her soft, supple skin the specially hardened metal hadn't taken any noticeable damage. That was expected of course. If her arm could be as easily damaged as her flesh then it would have been rather useless.
Making a mental notice for further examination Ava sighed, her eyes turning to explore her surroundings. Thinking back on it she couldn't recall just how she'd gotten here. Aside from a few faint and some what fuzzy flashes the moments leading up till now appeared to be just out of her reach if not gone entirely. Ava's first assumption was that she was possibly beaten into subsumption though the thought of someone getting the upper hand on her wasn't very likely or pleasant. Perhaps she'd been drugged? That did seem more likely, it would certainly explain a lot. Even in a drugged state she'd probably be lucid enough to resist her attacker hence the minor lacerations and other injuries. However... this train of thought came with it's own contradictions. From a cursory glance around the forest floor she could see no tracks, no prints pressed into the soft earth aside from where she dragged herself to this tree. If she was drugged did they drop her from a ship? It just didn't make sense. Of course none of that really mattered when it came down to the real problem she faced. Why had this happened in the first place?
Certainty Ava had many enemies of her own; her father for starters. It wasn't a secret among the stars that she craved bloody revenge from her father. Ever since she started out on her little crusade she killed her fair share of his lackeys each with their own loyalties and families. It was an inevitably that one of would come for her head but to drag her out here to the middle of no where... and while she was unconscious... that just didn't follow logic. Once she was out cold they chance to slaughter her then and there would have been a prime one. No, something else was going on and she needed to find out just what it was. Before she could set out in the hunt for answers Ava began to make out the not so distant sounds banter in the distance.
Turning her head Ava's furry ears wobbled slightly as they focused on the chanting that filtered between the trees. With rich, thick forests like this sourcing a single point of sound wasn't as easy as it's made out to be in the movies where the point is to keep the exposition ever climbing. Sounds tend to bounce, reflecting off objects which both weaken and distort the direction they appear to be resonating from. Still, being as faint as they were to her trained ears she believed that weren't that far off.
"Interesting." Ava thought with her eyes peering deeper into the brush. Few things were ever a coincidence in her line of work or in life for that matter. If she planned to understand the events which resulted in her being dumped like trash those people would certainly be a good place to start.
Rising from forest floor along with a healthy heaping of dirt Ava began to brush off loose bits of dead leafs and twigs from her bottom. Just as she finished and was ready to set off a sudden noise broke out over the distant cries. Had Ava not been rigorously trained to pick out the smallest sounds she might have missed it, if not entirely ignored it. Almost at once her basic instincts sent flares of warning through out her body and she reacted to them as such.
Without a second thought Ava lunged up and into the branches of the tree she had been resting again. Even in her haste she made certain not to scuff so much as a leaf; the slightest skewed branch could inform this approaching threat that they were not alone. Once nestled into the confined safety of the tree's leafy cover Ava armed herself. With a soft hiss and snapping of a hinge a blade no longer than Ava's fore arm jutted out from her steel arm. Taking the hilt with her left hand she swung it once allowing her fingers to become accustomed the finely crafted blackened blade. Feeling the all to familiar weight a sense of calm washed over Ava as always did when she was armed.
With the blade at the ready and at her side Ava clung to the tree; her toned, pale belly pressing against the cooling, rough bark. Eyes peering out from behind a limb she waited and watched for what was rapidly approaching her direction. While it was all possible it was just a wild animal trudging through the woods in a mad dash to tackle it's prey she wasn't going to take the chance and become it's next meal. Once the entity pierced the green vale Ava would decided on just how to deal with it. Mostly likely it would be a dive bomb where she drove the tip of the blade into the creatures skull; quick and painless. After all, she held no animosity for the being. It was just another annoyance in a life of many.
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Post by Kiin on Mar 14, 2019 19:23:40 GMT
Not long after she rushed into the tree, Ava would hear the footsteps and chanting get closer and closer until they were finally just beneath her. At first, through the leaves and branches, she would be able to make out very few details of her assailants. Only small bits of their bodies, like their feet, or shoulders, were visible. As they moved closer into view, though, she would see a band of at least six men - any others were not in her line of sight - all wearing tribal armor made from stone and bone. The armor the individuals wore was scarce, with the stone and bone using used mostly to protect the softer parts of their bodies from attack. One of the men wore a fresh injury on his exposed face, his cheek sliced open recently - perhaps something that could be attributed to her, if she ever happened to remember what it was that got her here in the first place. At the center of this group of men was a much larger man, standing roughly a head taller than all the others, who was clearly the leader. In a tongue Ava was unfamiliar with, the leader began to shout to his men, pointing in several directions and directing them to set up a perimeter. By the time he was done issuing commands, it was only himself and two other men, one of which was the man with the injured cheek. The large man stepped forward and tilted his head back, slowly inhaling through his nostrils as if he were taking in the scent of the area. After a brief silence, she would be able to see he wore a smile. Another command would come that she would not understand, until the two men with him began to draw blades from their waists and launch them into the trees above. They were checking the trees, one by one, and in no time at all there would be blades flying through the tree Ava was in to check for her as well.
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Post by ava on Mar 16, 2019 16:27:05 GMT
A silence clung to the forest while Ava stood stone still waiting for the approaching force which trampled through the dense thicket. Trained to wait motionless for hours on end, not even the line of ants that crawled over her hand could break her resolve. So many times, something as simple as a twitch of a finger or a rising brow could be enough to give away one's position. Having experienced these first-hand Ava wasn't about to make the plunder that her novice, less experienced self would have.
Senses opened to the forest around her Ava easily found the outline of moving shapes between blades of leaves and the dark bark of the trees. Tall, board shouldered, and rippling with masculine strength whoever these people were it was clear they weren't of a diplomatic nature. Her instinct to hide had been the correct one though she doubted that her position would remain hidden for long. Coming closer Ava began to make out more of their bodies details and the strange apparel they donned. Bone, stone and with straps of thick leather to bind it all together with a neat little bow. The construct was rather crude as far as Ava was concerned. Even worse was the fact that such primitive grabs meant that these men were adept at tracking and hunting prey; prey much like herself at the moment.
"I was most likely going to kill them anyway." Ava thought to herself with a renewed grip on her weapon.
There was little doubt now that these men were hunting, for what only they could say. It was possible they were after her. Still at loss when it came to her memory Ava would have no idea of knowing if she had done something to warrant their aggression; given her habit of making enemies she couldn't rule out the idea they weren't after her. She was finding the whole situation to be rather bothersome. Dragged out into the middle of no where and hunted by savages. Just what had she done to reap this reward?
Filing into the little clearing which Ava lurked above what she assumed to be the leader began to speak to his comrades. For a moment Ava nearly skewed her brow in question before her diligence got the better of her. The tongue in which they spoke was a foreign one; to be expected of course. Not being of this planet any languages outside the common trade ones would be unknown to her. Having to rely on mere tone, and body language she assumed that he was giving his men order to set up a perimeter of sorts. Experienced as she was in military tactics Ava could only see two justifiable reasons for this. Either they were getting ready to set up a camp or... they were planning to trap their prey; either option wasn't ideal in her current situation. On one hand taking out three foes would certainly be easier than six, however once she made her escape she would have to tread lightly. Those who had left would certainly be waiting nearby, perhaps waiting to spring out once she crossed their paths or better yet setting up their own snares. Even worse was the fact that Ava had no idea if there was more than just these six lurking in the woods. Often when war bands traveled, they kept sweepers some distance behind the group. These sweepers would travel some distance behind the main group and keep an eye out for enemies who slipped past.
Clearly Ava was outnumbered and without vital information, however it wasn't as though she hadn't been in similar situations before. Luckily, she had advantages of her own. Aside from her blades Ava's plasma cannon would wreak havoc on these back-water savages. With any luck the mere sight of a flaming ball of energy would be more than enough to send these barbarians packing. Ava doubted that these simple woodland folk would be any challenge to her but if worse came to worse she could always jet away. There were few who could keep up with Ava's pace whenever she gave it her all and she wasn't weighed down with heavy armor.
As these thoughts went through her mind her eyes never left the three remaining men below. It was then that the leader did something rather... unexpected. Rearing his head back with large nostrils the man breathed deeply as if a heavenly dish was placed under his nose.
"He... couldn't possibly be trying to get a scent... my scent?" Ava thought feeling an instinctual shiver run down her spine for she knew that was exactly what he was doing. Just who were these people?
The smile which followed the man's action told Ava that her time of lying in wait was over. Whatever was about to happen, her position was no longer viable. Sure enough, as quickly as the brief smile faded from his lips a command went out and the leaders two comrades fled into the trees their swords drawn.
"Damn." Ava muttered no longer feeling that remaining silent held any point. A small click would echo from Ava's arm revealing the barrel to the .357 embedded into the metallic structure.
Six shot would roar out into the forest as Ava fried three shots a piece towards the approaching men. Centered on the chest the flimsy metal and bone would stand little chance against the large caliber slugs. Once the final shot had been fired Ava would lunge from the tree and high over the head of the leader. Landing on all fours a cloud of dust would rise from the impact with the forest floor. Quick to rise, gun aimed at the leader she wouldn't waste the time for words. Again, she fired three times before jumping backwards into the woods in a hot purist to freedom. At this point Ava wasn't concerned with answers. Either she would learn about the circumstances which brought her here, or she wouldn't. All that mattered now was survival. Having come this far in life she wasn't about to be snuffed out by a pack of savages.
Hopping from tree to tree Ava trudged her way through the woodlands keeping her senses open for any noise or movement that might warn of enemies or traps. The thought of being out numbered fresh in her mind she wasn't about to be caught off guard thinking her targets had been taken care of. These were their lands, and they held the upper hand when it came to the terrain.
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