Lady fortune and sister fate(Iphigenia)

[karida]

The day was quite lovely, the sun shown through the sky and radiated a warmth that was quite pleasant. It was the type of day that made people desire to relax and lie down. To lounge in the sunlight and soak up its gifts. Unfortunately, not everyone was allowed such simple pleasures. Down the road five men and seven women in full military regalia had stopped riding by a small stream to give their horses a rest. While most looked haggard from the long ride, they still carried themselves with pride and strength. They were the elite, the specially chosen soldiers of Karida Taverson, chosen to accompany her into the void and enter a new world. They knew of why she had left, why she had vacated her previous position. They also knew that they were in a world slightly different then their own. However, Karida knew much about the land, they knew better than to ask her how she knew or how they had gotten there. The only one who would have dared to ask was her secondary commander, her first follower, a man by the name of Seraphm. He was far too devoted to her to ask however so the answer went unknown.

Of these twelve, two did not look bothered by their journey. Seraphm stood under the shade of a large tree while his horse drank from the stream. Karida herself still sat astride her black horse Destry, who would look no more worn had he just come from a long sleep and thorough grooming. Karida watched her soldiers as they relaxed as best they could. She nodded at Seraphm and spun her horse around before navigating into the small wood to pray alone. When she was gone it was like a blanket lifted. Everyone seemed more relaxed and even Sera, who was almost always laid back, visibly relaxed. The men and women sat down, and began to trade insults and witty banter around.

Karida knelt down in a shady area not far from the road. Carefully she removed the brush from the area and pulled a small bag from her satchel. With as much delicacy as she could, she poured a small pile of it down in front of her. She closed her eyes and focused her mind. In moments she was swept up in the embrace of her goddess.

[iphigenia]

Iphie was incredibly annoyed. She had woken up that morning and had slightly freaked out, forgetting where she was. All in all, she had broken the desk chair in her room before she had come to her senses. The only saving grace being that she finally had properly fitting new clothes. They weren't incredibly flattering to be sure but they fit and were decent. Still, Iphie blamed the bad morning on nerves. Despite the rather pleasant time she had been having, her job kept nagging at the back of her head and it wasn't something she wanted to contemplate in the least. She thought that a nice walk would be good but she might stumble upon somebody important in the gardens of the palace and simply wandering around the shops would be entirely too noisy for her already frayed nerves. So she decided to go out walking along the paths to the east.

She set out quite quickly and was pleased to note that the streets and paths had not yet filled with travelers. However that didn't mean the paths were empty. She saw a few farmers, a few shepherds, and even a family in a wagon. She avoided them all however, after all, she was not in the talking mood. Despite the small interruptions Iphie was happy to be outside under the sun and enjoying the light breeze. Unfortunately, her mind was free to wander.

She began thinking of what the repercussions would be should she be caught. If she did it right it would be quite easy to replace a few books, but a full library and archive would take far longer than the average person's life span. The easiest thing to do would be to win the princess' hand in marriage. But what then? Iphie wasn't interested in spending her life married to another woman. It was preposterous. She didn't even like women, well, not really. Her mind drifted to Toph. She was very nice, and there was something different about her. Iphie couldn't figure it out but she felt a bond. After all, she was doing her best to hide her diseased control from everyone. Well, she wanted to but when she was with Toph in the cave she had spoken so freely. Iphie still wasn't sure if that had been a mistake.

After a good while of walking and thinking, she came to a small wooded area where several soldiers sat resting.

[karida]

The soldiers noticed the woman walking down the path, though it was the men who paid the most attention. A lone woman walking down a rather empty path was certainly opening herself up to trouble. She didn't even carry a blade. Most of the men stood up as she drew near. While they had been able to find companionship the night they had landed it was hardly enough to sate their burning desire after so long a trip. They certainly weren't able to sooth their loins with those of the women of the small force. Admittedly their interest was not without warrant. in their home country it was not normal for a woman to be walking alone down a road unless she was a prostitute selling her trade by day to travelling merchants.

"Hey there, you look like you aren't busy, how about coming over here and entertaining us for awhile." One of the men called out to her as she drew near.

"Yes, give us a quick peek, we've got plenty to pay you with." Another added. The women lounging around simply watched with a casual disinterest.

[iphigenia]

Iphie stopped when the soldiers stood and stayed still as a corpse when they approached her. They called to her and Iphie realized they thought she was a prostitute. She pursed her lips. Her fingers on her pale hand twitched lightly. She glanced around, there were four men who had stood, one remained seated and looked as though he might be asleep. There were six women as well but none lifted even their voice in her defense. Inside her anger bubbled. She pushed to keep it in check though.

"Do I look like a common whore?" Iphie asked viciously, her tone though cool began taking on the darker aspect she normally tried to hide. "Return to your naps and let me by." She glared at them.

[karida]

"Oh I see." Said one of the men to the rest. "Well excuse us, but you see, we're willing to pay quite well above what you're scrawny hide is worth, or not at all. Take your pick." The men moved in to surround her.

"We've had a long journey, and we're not exactly feeling kind, so please. Just give in." Said another man, this one to the left of her.

"Might as well give in girlie." Said the one behind her. The women kept their eyes on the events, but none moved to provide any reassurance.

[iphigenia]

Iphie scowled at them. To say she was angry was an understatement. She was beyond furious, but in a way, she was happy too. The pain in her arm had been driving her crazy, the pressure of her mission was always eating at her. Now, some foolish men thought they could actually boss her around. Her scowl curled up into a smile. First thing to do would be to take care of the one behind her before he moved. She felt the familiar feeling of her mind draining away, while she could still think straight, she knew she was not as intelligent as she had been. Giving true intelligence to a disease required sacrificing some of your own. She would get it back when it had run its course but until then she was now slightly disadvantaged. However her strength more than made up for it. Her arm, so painful and problematic before, now felt free of its burden. The moment the man behind her coughed, Iphie struck.

Her left arm caught the soldiers armor and sent him several feet away. She whirled toward the man on the right of her and caught his arm as he tried to draw his sword. She tightened her grip and he blanched. By applying the pressure she forced him to the ground in pain. At which point she fully tightened her grip. His arm was severed as if she had been crushing an overripe banana. His screams of pain echoed through the area, the only other sound was from the man who had been behind her. He coughed and hacked and wheezed, blood pouring from his mouth as it filled his lungs. The disease, supercharged with intelligence and from fermenting inside Iphie for so long, worked far faster than it would have normally. The man's body was attacking itself, cells engulfing each other, the stomach digesting itself. Within moments he would be dead. But there was still the man she had pushed down to deal with. He stood now, facing her with his sword drawn. No fear shown on his face, only concentration. This annoyed Iphie. Everyone reacted with fear when they saw her do much of anything, much less fight. It was why she knew she could never truly settle down and be accepted. And now, this man had seen her display her true power and stood his ground.

She spared a quick kick to the man with the severed arm, crushing his skull and killing him instantly, it was a mercy, and the other man was now taking his last breaths. She didn't have time to call it back though, the soldier charged at her. She stepped aside but the blade still caught her right shoulder as she batted it aside. The blade went flying but not before a crimson cut began to spill blood down her arm. Her hand caught under the soldiers chin and, with a quick twist, she broke his neck, separating most everything but the skin that held the head to the shoulders. He died instantly. She turned toward the remaining soldiers and shook some of the blood from her hands.

[karida]

The women stood. They hardly cared for the deaths of the men, they had been vulgar and if they couldn't defeat one woman they deserved their fate. However, they had been challenged, their honor as Shallo's warriors was now in question. Each of the seven women drew their weapons and advanced on Iphie. They fanned out and followed the same rules they had learned when following the instructions taught to them by Shallo in the sparring matches. The only one who continued to do nothing was Shallo's right hand man, Sera. He just sat and watched. Meanwhile, the cries had alerted Karida from her meditation in the trees. She knew the sounds of battle well, but her duties to her gosddess required careful actions. Before getting up, she would have to finish by purifying the ground.

[iphigenia]

Iphie grinned as they stood at came at her. Despite the constant nagging, the overwhelming lack of privacy, and all the injustices she had served back at the temple, she always got the chance to unleash a bit. The first woman came at her and Iphie quickly dodged to one side, swinging her leg around she crushed the woman's kneecaps. A second soldier used this as a chance to come up from behind but Iphie knew she was there as the microbes in her body yearned to escape from her flesh into the flesh of a new host. In an instant Iphie had caught the hilt of the blade, her hand closing around that of the soldiers. Her gripped tightened, bone splintered and blood dripped as flesh was squeezed between the metal of the hilt and the metal of Iphie's grip.

She jerked the sword back and placed a kick right against the soldier's breastplate. It caved in, as did her ribcage. Iphie began laughing now. Her anger was being released in the way it always wanted. She grabbed a rock and threw it hard, it caught another woman in the forehead, cracking her skull and leaving a long furrowed crevice from the front of her face to the back. The woman with the crushed kneecaps struggled but Iphie ended her quick. Four remained, then they struck. Iphie grabbed one of them, used her as a shield for a blade or two before crushing her face first into the ground. Another one she simply tore into two with a devastating sweeping kick. The other two met their fate together. Iphie managed to avoid their blades and proceeded to slam their heads into one another's. Covered in blood, Iphie grinned. Her intelligence had begun returning from the virus as it dissipated.

She turned her eyes to the last remaining man of the squadron. "Are you prepared to die?"

[karida]

Sera stood and smiled back at her. It was rare that he fought one on one with anybody, most of what Karida had had him do was stay with her as she charged into a swarm of enemy soldiers. Of course he had originally trained for one on one gladitorial matches so this was nothing new. He took a few steps to the center of the road and hefted his blade. He made a come here motion with his hands and called out "There's no need to fight among the dead, come to a cleaner pasture and we'll settle this like true warriors." There were many losses to be sure, but he knew Shallo could just as easily raise another army if she desired. THese others were expendable, he was not. Well not if she wanted to lead another army. Karida would protect him, he had been the first to swear himself into her service.

In the trees Karida herself had finished cleaning up after herself. The place where she had communed was now coated in a small layer of ash. She turned back to the path and began walking towards the now quiet location. She heard Sera call out an invitation and smiled to herself. Something exciting had happened. She finally was in view of the path, though still far enough back to be hidden. She saw the littered corpses around the lone scrawny woman. This new world had great warriors indeed if one could so easily dispatch so many. But now Sera would have his turn.

[iphigenia]

Iphie took a few steps forward toward him. She was sure she could take him, but to be perfectly honest, she didn't feel much like it. Her arm had stopped throbbing, her rage had gone from a boil to a warm cool. Still, she couldn't turn her back on him now. She quickly picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at him, much like before, it split his skull and left a bloody opening through which you could see behind him. "I am not a warrior."

[karida]

Sera's body didn't fall. In fact, he began laughing. "You didn't think it would be that easy did you? I am the first of Karida Shallo's generals. I am Seraphm, named for the angels. I gave myself to her and she protects me from such trifling wounds." As he spoke, his spit skull knitted itself back together, the wound closing in a matter of seconds. "Now prepare yourself not warrior. Ready yourself to meet whatever godess or demoness you serve." He charged at her, sword raised and began taking quick, calculated strokes. Feinting at times and driving her back.

Karida herself watched carefully. It was certainly nice to see her most trusted comrade return to battle. It was like poetry in motion.

[iphigenia]

Iphie was stunned. That just wasn't possible. She staggered back, tripping to the ground as he charged. She grabbed another rock but not to throw this time. She used it as a shield, deflecting the strikes as best she could as she tried to get up. The vibrations numbed her hand. and she managed to grab a second, blocking with one hand sometimes, the other hand the rest. She was now entirely on the defensive. A strike slipped past her defenses and left a long gash down her left shoulder. Normal blood would pour but hers simply oozed out, thick with the diseases fermenting inside her.

Suddenly she changed, it was not so much a physical change but it was quite obvious to see that something was different. It was almost as if you could see through her, a single moment when it seemed like all she was made of was colored fog. The rocks fell through her hands and the blade of Sera swept through her, scattering her like dust. He paused, certainly confused as Iphie simply faded away in the breeze. However she didn't really fade away. Sera suddenly lost control of himself. His blade came up to his own throat, however he was still strong enough to fight it. He was now infected with Iphie herself, turned into a human virus. He was too strong for her though, she fought herself as much as he fought her.

The disease form was something she had discovered long ago. However it came at a normally small cost, though here, far away from the stores of medicine, it was a bit more significant. She never liked taking it. She hated giving in to the disease that kept her bound. Still, she had little choice in this matter. While she could not force Sera to stab himself, she would take the opportunity to do something else. She released a small strain of virus that she had been given before leaving on her first mission. She had never needed to use it before, nor had she wanted to. It was another last resort. Already infecting him as she was, she wouldn't need to sacrifice her own intelligence for it to seek him out. As soon as it was thought, it was done and she forced herself out of him. She rematerialized in the same spot she had disappeared from, though now she was on the ground vomiting up everything she had eaten along with a thick greyish green slime. Sera, however, was less lucky. The virus she had left inside him began to consume him. This was far different than the previous virus she unleashed. This one worked quickly, as it ate away at parts of him other parts would grow back however he did it, but the regeneration wasn't fast enough. Eventually all that would be left would be bones, and then they would be gone, but that would take hours. Still, he was no longer a threat in seconds.

[karida]

Karida stepped out from the trees and slowly clapped her hands. "Congratulations." She purred in a silky voice. "You seem to have killed off all of my soldiers as well as my favorite follower. She stepped over to iphigenia's collapsed form. "It was impressive, not many can beat someone who has the power of the goddess imbued into them, even if it was indirectly given by me." She licked her lips. "However I noticed a few things while I watched you fight." She suddenly kicked Iphie in the side.

"You may be far stronger than any mortal has right to be, but you are not invincible. You. Can't. Take. A. Hit." She punctuated each word with another kick. She laughed and took a few steps back. "I'd love to recruit you into my army, you'd do wonders with those strange powers of yours and I am shorthanded. However, given the circumstances I believe the best action I could take is to kill you now." Karida drew her sword and held it aloft. "And yet I hesitate, you would make a wonderful acolyte. Service to me and the goddess can be incredibly pleasant in all things, especially physically." She licked her lips. "So, will you swear allegiance and join me?"

[iphigenia]

Iphie knew she was in a bad spot. If she didn't react soon, she'd be dead but there was no way she was pledging herself to another crazy cult. She shot her leg out, tripping Karida with a loud crack as bones were split. She shot to her feet, tired and sickly as she was, and began to run. She ran as fast as she could, her muscles pumping her legs, sending her several extra feet with every step. It might have been called a bound if it was more graceful. The wound in her arm had turned a dark greenish black color. The color of rot. She tried to focus and the color faded. now all she needed was to stop the bleeding. She tore her shirt, still running, and tied it around the cut for a makeshift bandage. She didn't have to worry about infections but blood loss was a problem.

She had gone a long way in the short time she had been running, she had left Karida far behind her. Still, she kept running until she could run no more.

[karida]

Karida grinned as she watched the woman flee. It was a pleasant sight to be sure. She let the pain fade as her bones knit themselves back together in her legs. She hoped she could meet her again and convince her to join with her. However killing her would be exciting should she refuse. It had been a long time since she had a challenge that showed so much promise. She stood up, her ankles a tad sore but it was nothing too troublesome. She whistled and Destry trotted up to her, as did the other, now riderless, horses. They were useless to her and would fetch a good price at the market. Karida tied the horses together so they would not wander off. She quickly and easily mounted her own horse and began the trek toward the main kingdom. Life here was certainly going to be full of surprises.