Not only did it crawl on the skin. It went through it, into the very soul of a person. Crawling its way through the flesh and the veins, along the lines of blood and beside the bone marrow. And it spread a poisonous sting along the way, as it drained the very life essence of a person. To the young Spirit-Walker, it wasn’t just her life energy, but the very source of her powers. The minor wound she had suffered earlier was nothing compared to this newfound pain. She wanted to collapse, truly she did. But the force held her up, attacking her and the girl next to her, for what seemed to be ages. 

This was the worst kind of death one could imagine. It wasn’t even draining them quickly. It was thorough and took its dear time, making sure it got every string of the Niphon Essence along the way. The blue ethereal light was created with the use of the Walkers spirit, at the cost of their own vitality. It was the pure gold for anyone who longed to rob the essence of others. Eliana’s vision had long been destroyed, her pupils having turned into a beautiful ebon chromaticity. 

It stopped. Without any acquiescence the woman fell to the ground. Her muscles didn’t move an inch and she landed on her side, lying perfectly still. Her eyes were open and stared into the dead nothing, her body cold and smoking from the shadowy influence that had corrupted her. The staff she had carried with her, bearing the ancient markings had become rotten. The symbols were unclear and ruined, just as its master on the ground. The pendant Eliana had carried was shattered on the ground in front of her, but one could still spot the sigil of the king within it. So much had been lost, drained, and torn from her. It was unclear how much Miriam had suffered, as it seemed she was out cold when the saviour attempted to get in contact with the ranger. 

Leia stood whimpering by Miriam’s side. The dog had run immediately to its master, not seeming to care much for it’s own wounds. She licked Miriam’s face, rudely shoving the female warrior aside. It was almost as if the smoking pile of ash were laughing in a faint echo. An aura of madness filled the air around the four. Somewhere in the distance, a confused man ran about, not being able to find his way in the dark.

Not far from them, at the gate of Lowburg, the fighting had recommenced. The work of the Spirit-Walker had possibly been in vain, as the two nations began striking each other again. Leia’s whimpering had turned into a demoralized bark. If dogs could shed tears, this wasn’t much far from it. The dog impatiently stomped the enormous paws unto the huntress, attempting to wake her up. 
Meanwhile the Walker had not moved, not a single breath had been drawn yet.

[i]Nearby[/i]

“I’m sure of it!” The Raylian scout called out angrily at his companion.

The swordsman sighed heavily, shaking his head back at the scout.

“We all heard –something-, but that flash was most likely a thunder strike! Or some weapon from the Northerners. I don’t think you-“ he barely managed to say, before being interrupted by the scout.

“No. It was the same we saw back in Castellia. Right before the Slaughter.” The scout nodded sternly, leading his comrade unto an open field. The fighting was still seen in the distance, a few torches lighting up the violent night. The two kept at a steady pace, the scout moving much quicker than his half-plated friend. They had always worked together the two. It was standard Raylian procedure; a scout always had a soldier of some sort assigned to him or her, if needed to tread into an area where they expected resistance, but were still able to let some of their movement down.

They covered behind a bush in the open field, near the supposed scene. The swordsman put a hand on the scout’s shoulder, having lowered his voice. 

“Alright you bastard. Are you done with seeing flashes now?” He angrily muttered.

The scout held up his hand in a response, finding his bow and arrow. He placed an arrow on the bow, slowly rising up and taking aim. What it was, he couldn’t see. But it was loud and clumsy, much like a chicken without the head to lead it. But his eyes went to something else. A figure stood kneeled down, and a barking dog was at its side. He nodded.

“There.” And went off without a word to his heavier comrade, who had to pick up his pace again. 

“State your names!” The scout raised his voice, having snuck up on the figure. He spotted two more now, both on the ground and looking ever so numb. The dog barked angrily at him and went to scare him off. But instead he lowered his weapon, loosing his grip on the string. He dropped his bow and slowly kneeled down, examining the former golden haired woman, without the consent of the armed female. The scout had his eyes wide open, inspecting the girl with care.

“What … in the world?” He looked up at his lately arrived friend, who held up his hand briefly to show his friendliness. The two exchanged a look, and an understanding nod.

This time the scout had seen something, whatever it had been.