DrowsyPangolin

When the Flames Die

Celeste grimaced as the blade struck the corpse. "Bastard..." She yanked the ribbon, dislodging the blade and pulling it back towards her. She gripped the ivory hilt of the weapon and slid it into it's sheathe. Taggerung increased in speed and vanished into the forest. Catching up to him at this point was unlikely, and running with an open wound would likely cause her to lose more blood than she could spare. She looked to her hand again, pulling the shredded fabric away from the wound. The cuts were deep. The hooks had torn deep into her flesh on either side of her hand. She gritted her teeth, as the pain increased exponentially with every passing second. She tried moving the fingers. The middle three worked fine, but the thumb and pinky struggled. Still, they did move, so they weren't completely destroyed. It was a serious wound. She looked across the clearing, her eyes settling on the cloak she had worn. It was now shredded in half, but still useful. She grabbed one half of the cloak, tearing off a long section, and began wrapping the wounded hand to prevent blood loss. Her eyes darted around the clearing, searching for the shadowmages. "You four... do any of you have any medical supplies?" The woman slumped against a nearby tree, struggling to wrap the wound with one hand. She cursed herself for not doing what she should've done in the first place. She looked towards the black sword on her right hip. Would it have even worked?

Eva glanced around the room, and realized they were causing a massive scene. The majority of the inn now seemed to have their eyes on them. Killing a child in front of a crowd never went over well with the authorities. She pointed a finger towards the door. "I've told you to leave once already. Go. And don't return." She spoke with a tone as cold and solid as granite, her eyes flaring with a fierce seriousness. They couldn't do much to the boy if he did not intend to make a move against them. Still, after his words letting him walk away felt wrong, but they didn't have much of a choice, unless one of them wanted to risk cold-blooded murder in front of an audience.

When the Flames Die

Celeste cursed as the blade clanged ineffectively against Taggerung's skull. He began trotting off in the other direction, seemingly unfazed by the strike to his head. Celeste took a step forward, prepared to pursue the creature at full speed, but she felt her hand begin to throb. She looked down to see the blood continuing to pour from the torn flesh, dripping onto the grass. If she followed him she'd be weak from blood loss soon. She cursed again, flipping her blade into an inverted position. She took two steps forward and threw the sword in a javelin-like fashion towards the back of Taggerung's neck. The blade cut through the air silently. The weapon, however, was not flying freely. A thin strip of white ribbon seemed to have been tied to it's hilt. The ribbon around Celeste's arm began to unfurl, slipping through her fingers. She was ready to yank the weapon back in a second.

---

Sophia continued backing away until her back hit the far wall. Her bright yellow eyes remained locked on Mentha, a look of pure fear coming over her. Who was this boy? Who were these people? And why did they want her? She shook her head back and forth. Eva took a step forward, towards Mentha, still keeping one hand behind her back. Her orange eyes glared fiercely. "No, you haven't, not yet, anyway. I imagine you intend to, though. Tell me, what is it you want with Sophia?" Her eyes flashed to the doorway as Mentha looked away. 'What is he looking for...' she worried. If the boy was associated with Taggerung things could get serious, quickly.

When the Flames Die

Celeste watched with surprise as the creature tore out his own eye. Her surprise only increased when he seemingly gave up on the fight and began to walk off. He tossed Jezin's mangled corpse over his shoulder, and seemed to be intent on leaving the fight. The woman turned on a heel, her eyes following Taggerung as he turned his back. No, he wouldn't be leaving that easily. She darted forward, leaping into the air above Taggerung and coming down with a hard vertical strike towards the back of his head. The force behind the blade, which was considerable, was likely strong enough to split an ordinary human skull, but with Taggerung's tough bones, that certainty was diminished. Still, even if the blade couldn't get through the skull, it would likely slide down the length of the creature's back, splitting his flesh wide open.

When the Flames Die

The blade struck true, cleaving off a portion of the creature's eye. Celeste's eyes flashed to the hilt of the sword in his gut, watching the creature reach for the blade. At that moment, she kicked off the ground, flipping forward and traveling several feet in the air. As she passed over, she narrowly avoided the incoming slash. She landed just behind the pale beast, and turned swiftly with a slash towards the base of the creature's back, towards the area where a human's kidneys would be. As soon as she made the slash, she backstepped quickly, putting a few feet between herself and Taggerung, and turning sideways. She raised the golden-bladed sword in front of her in a horizontal line, with the tip pulled back towards her left shoulder. The stance provided defense, but also would allow her to strike quickly. Her feet began moving quickly side to side in an almost dance-like pattern. Her movements were fluid, but also unpredictable.

When the Flames Die

Celeste's eyes widened. The smell of death poured out from the creature's gaping mouth, and if she didn't act quickly she was almost certain to be joining whatever was rotting within his stomach. Her eyes flashed to the sword lodged in his gut. She tugged hard on the blade, but it didn't budge in the creature's iron-like grip. There was no way she was going to simply pull it out. In that moment, she made a decision. A sacrifice would have to be made to survive. Celeste opened her hand as far as she could, given the hooks within it, and jerked her arm back with the full force of her weight. There was a sickening sound of tearing flesh a a shower of blood, but the woman freed herself from the trap. She slid backwards, just out of reach of Taggerung's jaw, blood pouring from her left hand, which hung at her side. For a moment, there was a seething agony in the torn hand. She had no way of knowing how serious the damage was, but she didn't have time to examine it at the moment. She felt the familiar numbness wash over her. The pain eased up, and she felt a heat like a raging fire rush through her body. Her pupils shrank to a near invisible size, and a glare crossed her face. She lunged forward towards the creature, who was now headed mouth-first towards the ground, and made a hard, arcing stab towards one of his saucer pan eyes. The woman moved at a near incomprehensible speed now, and the fury and force behind the strike would be enough to drive it through armor. Her mind was free of any thought but killing the monstrosity that stood before her. This was life or death.

When the Flames Die

Taggerung's interruption of the flurry was unexpected, and Celeste had no time to react to the strike. Instead, she again went with it's momentum. The fist slammed into the side of her face, and she felt the very edges of the claws cut into her cheek. The woman's head cocked to the side, and her whole body seemed to move with the motion of the strike. For a moment, it seemed a smile flashed across her lips. She spun around from the force of the punch, and used the full momentum of the punch and the spin to come back into a quick, sharp stab towards Taggerung's gut. Her head ducked a bit under the extended arm. She had no idea if the creature even bore human organs, but the primary problem she had encountered thus far was the incredibly sturdy nature of his bones. The stomach was a weak point, even on such a monster. Her curved sword came up in an arc above her head to protect against any downward strikes towards her.

When the Flames Die

Again, the blade struck, and again, it seemed to do no good. The creature turned with ferocity, throwing a kick at her knee. Celeste fell back, allowing the creature's kick to sweep her off her feet, but her lack of resistance made the attack virtually ineffective. As she fell, she swung the golden curved sword in a swift motion towards Taggerung's incoming claw. The swipe was forceful enough to easily tear through flesh and tendons, and the sword's exceptionally sharp blade made it more dangerous. As her back struck the ground, she rolled swiftly to the right, throwing herself to her feet. She extended the longsword towards Taggerung, placing the curved sword behind her back. It appeared to be the reverse of the stance she had taken earlier. The blade of the longsword had a bit of blood running down it now, as the hooks dug deeper and deeper into her flesh with every swing. Despite her quick attack, she had noticed Taggerung's pause when he saw blood. Her eyes met his again. "What's the matter? Surely you're used to seeing a bit of blood by now. You've spilled plenty of it, after all." The blade, despite being hooked into her hand, floated about her as she spoke with a surprising amount of grace. She swung the blade swiftly, sending a few droplets of blood towards the creature's face, before stepping forward. In a split second the woman became a veritable whirlwind of spinning metal. She came towards Taggerung with a flurry of swift strikes in quick succession. The attacks seemed to be angled to strike his arm, to knock it out of the way, and then slash towards his face and neck.

When the Flames Die

Celeste's eyes widened as the hooks dug into her flesh. The hand behind her back shook for a moment, and red splotches began to form beneath the white cloth that wrapped her hand. A trap. She gritted her teeth, gripping the sword that was now attached to her hand tightly, with blood slowly leaking out from her hand and onto the grip. Taggerung lept from his position with unbelievable speed and force. Her eyes followed him, but his movement was almost too fast. The pair of claws came falling towards her, ripping through the morning air. She kicked back off of the ground into a backflip, moving her upper body up and out of the way. As she dodged the attack, however, she felt a sharp pain run through her leg. She landed a few feet away in a crouched position, and her eyes glanced to her leg. Blood was running from her shin. She remained in the crouched position, sliding one leg back a bit. She felt a wave of numbness wash over her body. Her pupils focused to near pinpoints. It seemed for a moment that the woman's already paper-white skin faded to near transparency. In that moment, she bolted forward at a much faster pace than she'd exhibited for most of the fight. A white blur flew over Taggerung, the woman's body twisting around in mid-air. She came down, spinning on one foot as she landed behind the pale creature, and lunging with full force, attempted to pierce the creature's back with the long sword. Her own curved sword came over the blade in a guarding position.

When the Flames Die

Sophia's look of horror only grew worse as the boy explained further. The quilt? What was he talking about? The girl's hands shook and she stood up, slowly backing away from the boy, shaking her head. Her eyes were wide. "N-no... What's going on? Are you... you're with him." The realization started to come together. Was this boy somehow tied to Taggerung? Was he too part of whatever sinister plot was unfolding around her? She backed away slowly, her eyes locked solely on Mentha, not even noticing the other people in the Inn.

Eva rose from her seat quickly, one hand behind her back. The boy seemed to have sinister intentions. She threw a quick nod across the room, towards Lily, and looked at the boy. "I'm afraid she won't be going with you. You should probably leave." The Tauran spoke with a firm tone, taking a step sideways to place herself between Mentha and Sophia. There seemed to be no escape for them anywhere. She cursed to herself. A rose? What the hell was the boy talking about?

Lily caught Eva's nod and slipped down from the bar stool, quickly sliding past the other patrons of the inn and slipping off to the back of the establishment, to the area where the personal rooms were. She disappeared through the doorway. Once she was out of the main room, her speed increased to a full sprint, darting up the stairs and speedily unlocking the door. She slammed the door behind her, and turned to a coat rack beside her door. A long cloak made of black fabric hung from it. Of all the times to make a move, it had to be when she hadn't slept. She sighed.

When the Flames Die

A faint smile crossed the woman's face as her blade struck. No blood came from the wound, but she knew it had struck bone. She lept back, away from the creature, landing a few feet away. Seconds later, she heard the sound of smoldering flame. A quartet of black fireballs struck down towards Taggerung, who dodged the attack handily. She felt the heat as the magic struck the ground nearby, erupting in a dark explosion. Celeste's eyes quickly followed the trajectory of the attack to it's origins, and noticed the shadowmages from before. It seemed she had some assistance, from the most unlikely of sources. She gave the group a nod, before returning her eyes to the fight. It was then that she noticed a glint of steel nearby. The long sword Taggerung had tossed earlier was lying only a few feet away. The woman dashed towards it, rolling as she snatched the weapon from the ground with her left hand. She stood from the roll, twirling the blade about with surprising ease. She'd studied Western swordplay, and though she wasn't quite as skilled with such a weapon, it was a better than the alternative. Her eyes glanced to the black hilt at her waist. She approached the branch on which Taggerrung stood, taking an odd stance that put the longsword behind her back, with her own blade in front of her. Her green eyes locked with Taggerung's.

---

Sophia's eyes grew wide, and the color drained from her face. A slight tremble could be seen in her hand. Surely she'd misheard the boy. There was no way he'd just said what she thought he said. No, no, he'd said it for certain. His parents were where Jezin was. Sophia stared at the boy, utter shock taking over her face. "They're... how do you...what?" The horror that seemed to be flowing through the girl was obvious. "W- What do you mean?" She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Eva had been quietly enjoying her meal until she heard the boy's words. Her eyes cut across to the child. Beneath the bar, her hand slid quietly into the folds of her dress, gripping the hilt of a knife. Her orange eyes glared over the Princess' head at the boy. This was no ordinary child, that was for certain. How did he know about Jezin, and just what did he mean that his parents were where he was? Were they dead, or was the boy's comment meant to be more specific? She turned slowly in the bar stool, ready to act if necessary.

Lily nodded as Maria left. "Alright, if I'm not here when you get back I'll see you around." She spoke with the same warm, cheerful voice. Once the Scout left, Lily brought her gaze back towards Sophia, but when she did, the smile on her face collapsed. The girl looked positively terrified, and Eva didn't look particularly happy with whatever had just happened. She was sitting too far away to hear the boy's words, but it was obvious whatever he'd said had deeply offended the Princess. She frowned. Whatever was going on, it didn't bode well. Perhaps going to get her cloak wasn't a bad idea.