Into the Forest

Yuri's walk was rather uneventful. She passed a few deer, who spooked at her presence, and some wolves, who also spooked at her presence. Eventually, she found a road cutting through the mountain pass near the middle of the forest, and she came across a plain man riding at the front of a wagon.

By the time she saw the man, the sun was just beginning to disappear below the horizon. The man took one look at Yuri and began to tug on the reins of the oxen pulling the wagon.

"Hello there," Yuri called out, a fake smile plastered on her face, "I'm looking for a sword!" Yuri stepped out of the forest and waved a hand in greeting.

The plain man's suntanned face blanched as he got a better look at her, especially her pointed, claw-like fingernails. He said a few words in a language Yuri didn't understand. She told him she didn't understand, and then began to approach. He gestured at her to stay back, but she kept walking towards him. The oxen began to groan and shuffle in place, eager to be off. The man obliged, whipping the reins and urging them onward, but also pulling them to the side to avoid running Yuri over. The wagon tore through a bush on the side of the road and a box of freshly harvested fruit was tossed out, landing on the ground with a splat. The wagon sped off into the distance.

Yuri sighed, investigating the box of fruit. "Well, no swords here," she remarked, biting into one of the red, round and bumpy fruits. It tasted sweet and juicy. She picked up the box, brushing off the dirt. "Might still be useful though," she said, taking off in the direction of the plain man driving the wagon. She was worried he misunderstood her intentions due to the language barrier, and she didn't want him spreading bad rumors about her, especially if there were any beautiful, young women wherever he was headed.

As soon as she crested the next hill, she saw the man's probable destination. The dirt road wound its way from the forested mountain pass to a large city, surrounded by tall, stone walls. Yuri walked until she neared the gate, at which point a contingent of mounted city guards rode out to meet her.

The guard at the front, helmeted but with a masculine voice, called out to her in the same unfamiliar language that the wagon driver had used. He held a spear, pointed upward and away from Yuri, for the moment.

"No clue what you're saying. Do you know…" She realized she didn't remember the name of the language she spoke. Oh, well. "Well, I'm looking for a sword." She dropped her box of fruit on the side of the road and began gesturing, holding her hands out before her to draw the shape of a sword, and then swinging her hands together to show the action of swinging a sword.

The guards and their horses all backed away, and their leader called out again, this time leveling his spear at her. Yuri sighed, until she saw one of the guards behind the leader draw a sword. A sword! Yuri leapt forward, covering the ten meters between them in a single bound. In midair she snatched the sword from the guard's hand, noticing at the same time that the guard's scent, underneath the strong smell of sweat and grime, and horse, was distinctly feminine. Yuri snatched the guard's helmet off before touching down a few meters closer to the city gates.

Everyone present spun around, some of the horses bucking their riders. The scent and atmosphere in the area suddenly grew thick with fear. All sense of order fell apart, and the guards began to shout. Those still mounted, including the one who Yuri had correctly identified as a woman, began to charge.

Yuri tossed aside the helmet she had taken and examined the woman charging at her, who was now armed with her leader's spare sword. Her short hair was a nice blonde color, her eyes a lovely bright blue, and her determined expression, sexy and fierce. "Hey," Yuri called out, "Are you a virgin?"

Yuri flicked her sword, deflecting the leader's spear aimed at her head, and then leapt again, slipping past the guard woman's swing and tackling her up and off of her horse. She landed carefully, maneuvering in the air to end up holding the guard in a princess carry. "Well?" Yuri asked her catch, dodging a punch and kneeing the sword out of her grip. The caught woman responded with a few more angry but foreign expletives and tried to worm her way out of Yuri's hold.

In response, Yuri simply shifted slightly and tightened her grip, completely locking the other woman in place. The helpless woman struggled and even spit on Yuri's cheek, but the swordswoman simply shook her head and the droplets scattered. "A feisty one, aren't you?" She smiled at her catch, but she felt frustrated that they couldn't communicate properly at all. "Let's see if someone in the city knows my language."