Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

As perhaps expected from such an unnatural person, there was no response or reaction from Ethelinda. Not immidiately, at least. But after several tediously long seconds, the girl removed one of her gloves, getting some blood on her fingers from the blade over her shoulder. With each slender digit used in turn, she wrote out a message on the glass of the window.

TO PLAY WITH YOU

Maybe the stalker wanted to see how Nina reacted, for she still didn't move anywhere, passively licking at the blood on her hand while keeping her gaze on the maid-knight.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina looked incredulously at the bloody message before drawing her sword.

"Okay, creep. Let's get something straight. I don't want you anywhere around me or my friends. You're bothering us when we're sleeping, and you're scribbling messages in blood on our windows. If you step inside this room, I'm going to fight you. So go away! Go back to the city and stop following us. Because if you don't, you're gonna get hurt. Understand?"

The maid knight set herself in a defensive position, readying herself if the doll-like stalker chose to take her up on the challenge. She wasn't sure what this freak's endgame was, but she didn't appreciate it involving herself or possibly anyone else that Nina had sworn to protect.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Even with her aggression towards the creepy stalker, Nina's words and gestures seemed to have more of an amusing than threatening effect on Ethelinda. The tinkly laugh that followed was the first sign of emotion there had been on the doll-girl's features, but she went back to being emotionless in a lightning-fast change of what could almost be described as a personality change. Stepping back from the window, she gestured at the maid-knight to come out to the moonlight. It was a really strange situation to say the least.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina knew that she shouldn't go out alone to the girl, but something about the strange creature really irked her, and after all, she HAD just been under the tutelage of the greatest weapons master in the land. She shouldn't just run from a potentially dangerous situation, and at least she'd only be risking herself.

So Nina opened the window cautiously, then leading with her sword and shield raised, she advanced on her tip toes out side and up to where the doll-like maiden stood.

"Well?" she asked, ready for a fight to begin at any second, but determined not to start one - only to finish it.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Ethelinda's eyes never strayed from Nina as she opened up the window and moved outside, following her every move in a focused analysis of sorts. Once both of the maid-knight's feet had touched ground and she was properly outside, there was a quick movement and the girl was almost on her right there. But it was not to attack her, for the hook-weapon went over her shoulder, moving down a bit before the sound of the window closing revealed what the purpose of the gesture had been. "This is between us now. They can remain there for all I care." the dollish stalker told Nina as she came up close and personal for a while, a brief smell of some unidentifiable flower passing into the green-haired girl's nose.

Moving back to where she had previously been, Ethelinda set her polearm into a ready stance. But as Nina seemed to be uninterested in starting battles, she quickly decided to take the lead herself. The first blow came in fast, but again, the maid-knight could see her training results as her shield intercepted it. Pushing against the shield, Ethelinda didn't let up. "Let's see what you can do, little guardian."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"Fuh, fine then," Nina squared up, and found her calm center of balance, then examined her opponent's weapon and stance, taking into account Yura's teachings and anticipating the doll-woman's movement and technique. She also considered the unnatural movement she'd already seen the girl do. She needed to be quick to match her, quicker than Nina knew she normally moved. Her thoughts immediately moved to Tree-Father's guidance. She needed to combine both the spiritual and physical skills she had developed.

Still she stalled, and gathered her senses, trying to achieve that mental state that would allow her enhanced speed. Once she knew she had that, she would strike.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

(Didn't bother putting the rolls here, since I know you don't really care about them. Also, Nina has unlucked her buff power and gained a Spirit Power pool. She currently has 3 max, but spent it all on the three rounds that I rolled, effectively her attacking twice each time.)

The blade of the opponent was a somewhat unconventional polearm, the billhook design not being very practical as Nina saw it. The blade curved inwards a bit at the end, but since it had no point or any sharpened edge on the outside part, it really was a limited combat weapon that could only cut with sweeps or bludgeon less effectively with other parts. If she kept her defenses readied proper, it was most likely an easy deal to keep away from herself.

Even if she was being pushed by the girl against her, the maid-knight tried to seek out her inner forces. Somehow, it was beginning to be more clear and straightforward now that she was under pressure, a most intriguing thing indeed. The power quickly found itself getting tugged into her mental grip and utilized to increase the green-haired girl's physical prowess. Once more, the elevated level of senses was reached, and Nina could feel herself going faster than normal. "Whaaat? Cheating!" Ethelinda called out as she saw the spirit power activate, trying to push harder and prevent it from happening, but it was too late.

Before she had actually realized it, Nina was already hacking away furiously at the stalker. She managed to score several telling blows on Ethelinda's smaller frame, including a particularly nasty-looking slice over one eye which most likely took the visual organ's ability to see anything away right there. While the creepy doll girl managed to score a cut on the maid-knight's thigh, it was almost over with this one exchange of attacks as Ethelinda was looking way more ragged than just a minute ago with all the blood and cuts that had torn apart her dress from several spots. "Oh... not quite... as easy I would have expected... but this pain... this blood... it's thrilling..." she gasped as the two separated, actually looking more like she was pleased with the result. "But, this not over yet..." she continued, breaking out from her reverie and back into readiness just as Nina's power ebbed away after the brief usage she could manage at beginner levels.

Nina 5/6 FP 0/3 SP 0/10 AP
Ethelinda 1/6 HP

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina drew in heavy breaths after the exchange, her spiritual connection proving its use to her immediately - yet at the same time it was apparent that she had much to learn on maintaining her grasp on it.

"You're enjoying this? Look... not that I don't get the whole pain thing, really I do, but why are you so eager to get hurt like this? I don't want to have to hurt you any more. Just go away!"

She raised her sword and waited to see if the doll stalker pressed the attack, only fighting back if Ethelinda struck out at her. If she could, she'd try to finish the girl off with the flat of her blade, so as to knock the girl out.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Even if she tried to reason with the strange Ethelinda, Nina found that her attempts at mercy and logic were not having much effect against the opposition. Without any words of her own, the doll-like girl was back on the attack. The initial attack attempt from the maid-knight was deflected by the shaft of the polearm that had already wounded her once, leading into a situation where the attacker managed to twirl a bit and cut into her upper arm. But it was not a terrible hit, easily ignorable in such a situation. Following up from her previous failed attack, the green-haired girl tried to go with her sword's flat side, but a sudden move from Ethelinda turned the situation around completely. In the end, the intended subduing strike ended up being a lethal one, the blade of Nina's sword digging almost halfway it's own width into the doll girl's neck. Having already been wounded heavily, it was no surprise that the stalker fell from such a harsh hit. On the ground, she tried to staunch the flow of blood in completely useless manner, reaching out to the hook weapon that had dropped a little distance away but never reaching it as life left her.

It was a grizzly scene, with a torn-apart girl in a teared dress on the ground, just a hand's lenght away from her weapon. Ethelinda's deathgaze was just as emotionless as the one in life, but this one didn't move or analyze the surroundings in any way, remaining locked into the distance.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina looked at the blood on her blade, then at the creepy girl, and shook her head.

"I guess I was never meant to understand you. I wish this had ended another way."

Nina wiped her sword clean and then sheathed it, she then moved inside the room again, and looked around to see if anyone else was awake. She supposed she would have to alert the authorities. A dead body like that couldn't just be ignored.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Having dealt with her opponent, Nina was free to do as she pleased. Going back to the window, she found that it was easy enough to open. In the room, hardly anything had happened. Iliana and Isane hadn't apparently caught any wind of the events in their sleep. Iris was up though, coming over to Nina and poking at the wounds Ethelinda had caused. There was a bit of blood in both cuts, but neither were anything serious.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina sighed as Iris felt over her own wounds. "You should see the other girl... damn it Iris. I didn't mean to kill her. I was just going to knock her out, but she moved right into my swing. It was like she had a deathwish..."

Slumping her shoulders, Nina hung her head on Iris' shoulder. "Stupid creepy stalker girl... I don't want to leave her rotting right outside the window. Will you come with me to find the authorities?"

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

As usual, it was a bit hard to determine how Iris felt about the situation, but she did nonetheless agree to come with Nina in case there was something. The two left the room, getting into the hall and heading towards the main door. There were no officials at the entry desk, for good reasons since it was the dead of night. But there was a guard right outside on the town square, who was more than willing to listen to what they had to say, even in this late hour.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina told the guard about the stalker girl, and how she had not stopped bothering them when asked to go away, and about how she had been forced to deal with the girl in a fight. She asked the guard what the protocol was for dealing with the dead body, and brought him to inspect it.

Having Iris with her was a small comfort to Nina, but she was eager to get back quickly to Iliana and Isane, not having liked leaving them for even a small amount of time - but she hadn't felt comfortable just leaving a dead body outside their window.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

The guard was taken aback by such a thing happening without them being aware of it in any manner. "Hmph, we'll need to set up more posts, this is not a good thing." the somewhat sleepy man commented as he went with Nina and Iris.

But at the site of the fight, there was no dead Ethelinda. Where the girl had previously been, only the weapon and traces of large blood loss remained on the blades of grass. A few shreds of the dress could also be seen, but of the stalker herself, there was no sign of. "Doesn't look like she was as dead as you said, missy." the guard commented, looking upon the scene with a degree of uncertainty. "Well, I'll take this thing away anyways. Shouldn't have any unattended weapons left out." he carried on, picking up the blade that used to belong to Ethelinda. Whatever had happened during the brief time they were away, the fate of the doll girl still remained unclear.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina ran to make sure Iliana and Isane were all right and that nothing from their room had been taken.

"I suppose I'm glad I don't have her death on my conscience, but still... hmph," Nina said with consternation in her voice. "That's all I need, a stalker with a grudge against me. Can't a girl just feel safe?"

Or loved in her mistress' arms? Nina thought to herself as she looked in on her Lady Einzbern. It had been too long since she'd last felt Iliana's loving touch, the curves of her body, the firm but confident command of her voice, telling the servant to obey her every sexual whim. Nina would fight an army of stalkers, bone slimes, ogres, rogue kitsunes, and even desert tyrants just to feel that love from Iliana.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Heading back into the room, Nina found that there was nothing to be worried about. Both of the older women were still sleeping like kittens, if that proverb was appropriate to the situation. But it appeared that the supposedly dead Ethelinda had visited them somehow during the time that the two were away, for a piece of her tattered and bloodied frill dress was placed onto the mistress' cheek. Most likely it was a message to remind them that this was not over. Even so, the fact that Iliana was alright was more than enough comfort for the maid-knight.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

Nina swiftly disposed of the evidence from the stalker girl's passing, keeping the trespass to herself for the time being. She then caressed Iliana lovingly, and stayed up by her side until the morning came. Once the lady had fully awoken, Nina would share the incident from last night with her lovely mistress.

 

[Guan Yu]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

The rest of the night-time went by without any troubles or interruptions, allowing Nina freedom to gaze upon her mistress as much as she desired. Eventually, the morning was there to wake them all up for a new day. When explained about the events that had occurred, there was a myriad of expressions to be detected on Iliana, most notable concern and puzzlement about the motives of the stalker.

The discussion was stopped some ways in as the officer on duty came to their door, informing that the driver and the mercenaries who had taking them towards home had been killed in their sleep. "The room they were... still are in... it's quite a slaughterhouse. I'd advice against going there, it's a mess that I've yet to see the equal of during my ten years of militia career." the man told them, looking somewhat uneasy after having seen the scene. "Look like we'll have to find another way to get home..." the mistress remarked, sighing.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Dedication (Nina / BlueSlime)

"More to the point, we have a stalker to kill," Nina cried out angrily, after learning of the pointless deaths of the mercenaries and driver who had been their escorts. "To think that I actually felt sorry for sticking that girl in her neck! I should've sawed her crazy, serial killer head off!"

Nina sat down and buried her face in her hands, and sobbed. What a horrible turn of events! She knew she should be less emotional about this sort of thing if she were to be a proper knight, but she couldn't help it. Nina felt for the victims. She also really detested having to deal with such an awful person who was following them and could survive the death strike that Nina had been sure she had dealt.

"I just don't get it. I don't get why she's targeting us. I don't get who or what she is. And I don't get how she survived my stabbing her in the neck last night. She's unnatural. Isane... have you ever seen such a strange person? Could she be possessed maybe?"