Dragon (s)layers

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*****

Chapter 6: No Time for Goodbye

Morning came and went like most mornings in an armed camp; tents were broken down, the string of protective wards were re-bundled and weapons were sharpened while those who'd completed their assigned tasks took care of basic hygiene. For the wounded, it was having their bandages checked and redressed as needed, insisting they could help even though half an arm was missing.

It wasn't the buzz of early morning activity one saw in a city, but to Amaranth, it was energizing- they'd be out of the forest in a couple of days, back where she was ironically more comfortable. Perhaps it was the feeling that her station in life actually held some weight, where as in the woods, it was only the strong who held reign.

She frowned at that thought as she finished cleaning herself, combing her unruly hair back with her fingers in preparation for the day. The entire forest had gone eerily quiet before sunrise, save the steady click-clatter of branches overhead rustling in the wind. The distant, pervasive drone of insects carried on the wind like an echo from beyond the Pale, a faint memory from another time and yet...

Ammy looked around.

There was nothing around them but woods and the suffocating press of plants trying to reclaim the land the puny mortals trod. The young paladin braced her hand against a tree, closing her amber eyes and opening her senses. The power flowed through her from the base of her spine up her entire back, coating her skin in the tingle of divine power.

It was a truism of any magically active creature that they could taste or smell the magic of other creatures, even unconsciously and that magic itself had a very specific- and often consuming- presence in the world. Like the background noise of a busy city which could be filtered out given enough time and practice. Paladins were probably the least magically active, yet even they could feel the pulse of the world's natural energies.

But there was nothing... It was wasn't the void that the woman in brown armor had left, it was a different kind of absence- as though the power from the world had been drained away. It was quiet, peaceful in fact, yet at the same time it was like looking at a painting devoid of colors; something was just

off

about it. Why hadn't she noticed last night?

Amaranth slowly opened her eyes to survey the woods around her for any movement. When nothing immediately noticeable struck her, she turned back to the camp. They were almost done, she promised herself. They'd get out of here and then they could take care of the things they needed to. Richard smiled when he caught sight of her.

They had a future to look forward to, after all.

After getting the wounded loaded on to the horses, Ammy stole a final glance back to the clearing. Still as empty as the magical aura. What wasn't empty- and what she wouldn't have expected in a hundred years, however- was the road they'd stopped beside.

Heads. Six of them. Neatly mounted on wood stakes in a phalanx watching the small party with empty eye sockets. Two of them were obviously lycan- long snouts and ears protruding between blood matted tufts of hair and fur- but the others looked mostly human. That was, until Markus approached and cautiously lifted the lip of one of them. The dagger like canines were a give away.

Amaranth and the soldiers paused, unsure of what to make of it, but instinctively scanning the woods around them- suddenly aware of how exposed they were.

Richard stepped toward the display, shoulders slumped. "This was the man I spoke to..." He looked to Markus, "This was his pack. It must mean there's a group of hunters out here."

Markus knelt down looking up at the heads. After a few seconds he shook his head and stood. "No, it was one person."

"What?" Ammy startled. One of the soldiers echoed her question and Markus pointed at the neck stump of one of the heads. "What about it?"

"They used a crisscross pattern-" he hefted one of the stakes out of the ground with some effort, turning it so they could see the back of the head. Half of the neck was still visible, the spine sheared on either side to form a neat V at the end of it. "Look... You need a heavy blade to do this kind of damage and a hell of a lot of control. All of them are the same way, too."

"Couldn't they have been killed first?" One of the soldiers asked.

"No," Richard looked back. "You have to remove the head, otherwise they regenerate."

"Good gods spare us..."

They all shared a look which needed no translating; before anything could be said, Richard made a hand gesture for running and they turned to the trail, picking up a steady jog. Markus started them on a steady pace the other soldiers could easily match and they could all carry for a few leagues at least. Amaranth took the rear, a soldier and Richard on the left flank and two soldiers on the opposite flank with the wounded in between them.

Jogging was easy once it was put out of the mind. Just one foot fall after another. None the less, Amaranth's mind wandered frequently to what kind of person could have killed six werewolves and, more importantly, whether or not they were a threat to Richard and Markus. The city could survive without either of its knights, but if Richard was to be hurt or killed, that would be the end of everything they'd spent a generation building up.

"Ngh, shut up." She whispered. The compulsion to serve was powerful and her mind found no end of disastrous scenarios should she fail to uphold her obligations as both a knight and a paladin; more important than any of those, however, she couldn't let them go. No, they were her family. They were the other parts that made her whole.

She wouldn't lose them. No matter what happened, she couldn't lose them.

The entire troop plodded along at a jog through the muddy underbrush, managing a good clip. They shared a water skin without even breaking stride and for a while it actually looked as though they'd make it all the way out at this rate. If not for the frailties of mortality, maybe they would have; eventually they came to a stop, panting under overheated armor with sweat pouring from their hot skin.

They plodded on for a few hundred feet of walking, then another brief jog. They fell into this pattern until even Markus had exhausted himself and the entire group slowed to a shuffling gait.

It was the perfect time for someone to attack, they all knew it.

Not one to waste an opportunity, it seemed, they were obliged by fate- Amaranth felt the void-like presence a second before a familiar dark blur burst from the woods in front of them. Amaranth had just started to turn forward from looking over her shoulder when she saw the motion sweep her periphery.

A glint of steel- a horse neighed, a man screamed, crimson arced through the air in a vicious spray. By the time she'd turned her head completely, already surging forward to protect the soldier who was still alive, the sword had cut through horse and man alike. The horse was falling, taking with it the wounded men atop it's back. An arm was in free fall from its former owner. Brown and gold trimmed platemail glinted- dark, diseased armor clad around a short woman.

The intricate lines of her armor were coated in gold accents and blood, heavy field plate meant for war- the kind of armor you were cut out of or buried in. She was stocky, maybe up to Ammy's chest, hiding everything below her eyes behind a gold bandanna with a snarling dragon's maw embroidered in silver thread.

Those eyes, though, were the eyes of a true power- a light shade of purple that were pale and distant even as she finished her swing. They were the eyes of a soldier and a killer in that order. Amaranth had only a second to respond, but she knew the likelihood of her getting in a blow were almost none.

The woman glanced up when she saw Ammy approaching, they locked eyes and the corners of her exposed cheeks crinkled up as though she was smiling. Amaranth closed the distance, throwing her foot forward to kick the woman in the knee.

Steel clattered as the purple eyed soldier moved, a horrible screeching sound like barbed metal raking across itself. The short woman pivoted with the blow, moving back so Ammy's momentum carried her forward- it pinned the heavy sword between them but she had her free hand up so fast, Ammy didn't even see it coming.

In the next instant she punched Amaranth in the face hard enough she could

feel

her left eye socket crack before she slammed into the mud, sliding into the narrow ditch alongside the road. The air was ripped from her lungs as her vision went blurry and the world tilted sideways. The purple eyed woman didn't even break stride as she slammed her shoulder into the chest of the nearest soldier, recovering her massive sword in her off hand and running the man clean through. His plated lamellar armor didn't slow her blade in the least.

Markus and Richard were approaching from opposite sides the fallen horse to pin her in, but with the weight of the man on top of her blade, her reaction was slow. She turned around with the soldier still impaled, trying to strike Richard's knee- to buy those precious seconds to get her blade loose- oh, but she didn't know who she was dealing with.

The lycan Duke didn't flinch at the heavy blow, instead surging forward. His hands were already half transforming into claws reaching for her throat. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous- in all the wrong ways.

Without waiting for him to reach her, the soldier dropped the body and grabbed Richard's arms, stopping his momentum cold even as he foot dug into the soft mud. Then she yanked him forward, cracked him in the mouth with her forehead and- with him still off balance from the blow, threw him into the ditch beside Ammy like a rag doll.

For the first time in a long time, a surge of panic ripped through Amaranth, in spite of the pain lancing through her skull she managed to right herself and draw her blade. Richard's teeth were broken in and his face bloodied, his nose pressed in at an off angle, already healing despite what had to have been considerable broken bones.

Who the fuck was this woman?

Markus was half stumbling over the sprawled wounded and the freshly maimed, blade raised to punch through her back. He had his hand braced on the pommel for that extra bit of force. All he needed was help to ensure it struck home. Ammy grabbed up a glob of mud and winged it at the woman. "Hey!"

Purple eyes turned to her. An insect among wolves. Then went wide as Markus's blade punched into her armor like an awl. She recovered herself quickly, throwing her weight forward into a ball, grabbing her sword as she tumbled and stood, turning to face him. She let out a sharp chuff of air like an annoyed horse, steely gaze focused on Markus.

Amaranth clawed up to the road as quickly as she could to join the other knight. Her eye was bleeding, she was sure, but she braced her foot in her best fighting stance, narrowing her gaze. She murmured to Markus, "High, low?"

"Low, low."

"Right."

The woman stabbed her heavy blade into the ground in front of her, resting both hands atop the pommel. She shook her head with a derisive snort. When she spoke her voice was gravely and harsh, like the hiss of a cobra about to strike. "I know you're alive!" she glanced at the ditch where Richard was just now starting to recover himself. "Why don't you come up here and we have a friendly talk."

"You attacked us!" Markus said, casting a glance at Ammy, murmuring, "we take a leg each. She can't get us both."

The woman rolled her shoulders and drummed her slender fingers against the pommel of her sword. The contempt in her eyes was evident even from the distance. She even blinked slowly, as though they weren't worth her concern. Judging from what Ammy had seen already, she could understand why she'd have that impression, but that didn't mean it stung any less.

One of the wounded groaned out behind them, the woman glanced after him then to the two knights. "Aren't you going to help him?" When Amaranth made as if to turn, the woman took a measured quarter step forward. Then barked out a laugh. "No? That's a shame..."

Markus whispered. "Let's do it."

The two of them exploded into action, halving the distance and closing in on her from slightly oblique angles. Amaranth went for the woman's sword- kicking into it to keep her from grabbing it while Markus raised his own blade to strike her face. They were inches away when the woman ducked backward out of the arc of the blade, spinning away from Amaranth's attempt at a follow up strike and into a position where her back was facing Markus's. Both fighters turned into one another- Markus just that little bit quicker, managed to lock his arm around hers.

He thundered forward to throw her off balance but she didn't budge. She almost seemed to be smiling behind her bandanna. "Well, if you wanted to dance," she said, "why didn't you say so!?" She stepped in around his back side, ignoring what should've been an incredibly painful move that would've torqued her shoulder out of place. She hammered her fist into Markus's ribs, denting his cuirass in the process. Ammy sprung in to defend him but before she could close the distance, the woman had the other knight in a choke hold.

"Don't!" She shouted at Amaranth with a sudden clearness. "Move another inch and you'll spend the rest of your life learning how to care for a vegetable. You, drop the blade." Markus complied reluctantly. "Now, where is our werewolf f- aha! Come, join the sing along!"

Richard stumbled forward wiping blood from his mouth. He spit to the side and just stared at the woman, letting out a haggard 'why?' as he approached with his hands spread in deference to her. "Why would you do this?"

The woman pinched Markus's throat in her gauntleted hand, yanking him against her chest plate as casually as someone would wrangle a squirming cat. "The question on all our minds is what a werewolf is doing with a bunch of soldiers-" Markus punched at her hand trying to get air. "Oh behave, this'll be over soon-"

"Let him go and let's talk about this!" Richard strode forward carefully. "Let him go, miss..."

She let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, you're one of those? Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance- I'd have brought some bran bread if I knew I was going to be playing with a dog! Maybe next time, though-"

"Why-"

"What pack are you?! Do these poor mortals have any idea what you even

are

?"

Ammy dared a step forward. The woman hoisted Markus, tilting her head forward in a universal "I wouldn't" posture. "I know!" Amaranth said, splaying her hand out. "I don't know what you're after, but we don't have anything worth stealing- please, just let him go."

"Please..." Richard said. "We can work something out."

She looked down at Markus, murmured something to him. He looked up at her and nodded. Then, to Amaranth's surprise, she let him up and shoved him forward. The young man coughed and hacked as he wandered over to the others rubbing at his throat.

Richard approached cautiously. "That's good, my name's Richard, what's yours?"

The short woman chuckled, "You can call me Briee..."

"That's a really pretty name for a very pretty lady- praytell, miss Briee, why do you feel it necessary to kill my men? We've done nothing to you."

"Well, now, see that's the question of the hour isn't it? If I had to guess..." The short woman strode forward confidently looking the man up and down- she didn't flinch away when Amaranth joined him, followed by Markus. "You're part of the Corengi pack."

Richard blinked.

Briee chuffed a laugh. "Oh that's rich... A weakling like you?"

"My father wanted us to integrate into society, not destroy it," Richard explained, spreading his hands and ignoring Markus's questioning glance. "We don't need to do this, Briee, we'll be out of your for-"

Lightning quick, Briee had her hand around his throat, nose to nose. Amaranth surged forward to protect Richard only to back off when he threw his hand out. Briee said softly, "I'm going to take your head. But not before I take everything you hold dear."

"Why?"

"Because," her purple eyes flared a sudden dark crimson, "I have to."

"You don't-" It was too late, though. Briee threw him off balance and drew back into a pitfighter's stance eying Amaranth and Markus. She kept herself between Markus's blade and the knights, dancing back and forth on the balls of her feet as though she had all day and could just wait them out.

"What's the matter, everyone loose their confidence all of a sudden? Come on, you're three against one, and I'm unarmed! What could go wrong?!" She laughed.

Both Amaranth and Markus launched off at a run.

"That's the spirit!" The woman snarled a deep, inhuman growl as she sped forward to meet them. Amaranth brought her sword up to meet the woman- Markus went low for the knees, the three of them collided in a flurry of metal. Ammy's blade tip made contact and bit in as it was designed to and Markus's shove knocked her partly off balance, forcing the blade in deeper.

It couldn't have gone more perfectly if it'd been staged. Once it punctured the heavy plate through the mid section, it kept digging in with the loud screech of rent metal- digging- digging- Ammy shoved forward as the woman growled in her ear. Ammy hefted upward shoving forward until she saw the tip piercing the back plate.

It had to have hurt like hell, but Briee didn't slow down hardly at all. She cracked Ammy in the jaw with her elbow and grabbed Markus's foot, shoving him back and off balance before she punched him in the face. Before he could even double back Briee had Ammy off balance, shoving her towards the roadside ditch. "Didn't anyone ever tell you-" she growled out an inhuman snarl, reaching for the blade sticking out of her gut. "you don't penetrate on the first date?!"

Ammy tried to brace her foot only to fall backwards into the ditch. "Fuck!" The last thing she saw before she went end over end was Richard running at Briee at full tilt.

"Hah! That's it!" Briee shouted. There were more sounds of raging combat- seconds ticked off like bombs as Amaranth struggled to right herself. Something metal clattered, Briee shouted, "You're kidding, right? My sister hits harder than you!"

Drawing on her own strength, she vaulted back up the embankment in time to see Richard slam into the dirt several feet away from Briee. She was just recovering from a kick and Markus was nowhere to be seen. Once again she reached for the blade in her stomach and advanced on Richard. In two steps she had the blade free and blood pumped from the ugly wound. It didn't seem to slow her down much, though

Knowing she'd never stand a chance against her own blade without something to defend with, she sprinted for the woman's heavy blade- back towards the woman, hefting the unwieldy piece of steel into a defensive guard. Ammy vaulted over Richard's sprawled form and shoved the blade up, locking with her own smaller broadsword. The two women locked gazes.