by “There was this night a long, long time ago…” A group of four sat at a small table in a run-down restaurant. Two of them wore dark cloaks, their drinks untouched. Another one was stocky male with short ginger hair and drooping eyes. His mug was nearly empty. The last of the bunch was a lady, hair split in two colors, pink and brown, with eyes to match. She spoke, her voice low and full of what her upcoming story would hold. “Yes, it was full of oddities and things I never would’ve expected. It was about six weeks ago, and I was arriving at this exact inn. I met a couple of strangers like you all. Of course there was the stereotypical drunken dwarf – as there is at every inn.”
She gestured as an example to the ginger beside her who was staring sadly at his mug, torn between it and likely his money.
“There were about two other people, but they were different from you guys,” she continued, speaking more directly towards the robed men. She toyed a bit with the sleeve of her white jacket. “One of them was an average height, dark-skinned with eyes of coal. The other was a young girl, his daughter. She was small and at that ‘I-Get-What-I-Want-When-I-Want-It’ stage. Well, I let her and her father sit with me and the dwarf. Of course I was polite. I even paid for the girl’s juice at one point.”
The two mystery figures seemed slightly curious, though not enough so to keep their heads up. They rested their heads on their hands, sighing with a hint of boredom. The ginger finally returned his attention to her, his mug full once again. The girl smiled just a bit, and she continued her story.
“Well, it was all fine and dandy until the father put his child to bed. He returned back about half an hour later with a small bruise on his cheek. It was quite evident that she didn’t want to go to sleep, but that’s irrelevant,” she shrugged at this. “He joined me at the table with a drink in his hands. He hadn’t had any until that point, of course. He was trying to be a good father. Though, I don’t see the point in not doing that if you’re going to sit at a table with a drunken dwarf in the first place. Anyways, we talked for a bit into the night. He ranted on about how his ‘baby gets spoiled by her mom’, about his ex-wife, and about some people his mom was dealing with. I learned later on that night that his mom was a mage, and he was taking a vacation with their girl while she was on some mission. Eventually, it got to the point where he began downgrading mages, calling them things I don’t feel up to repeating. And then he remembered I was there.”
The robed men seemed more attentive at that point. They lifted their heads from their resting positions, making the girl’s smile broaden just a hair.
“He had been looking between me and the knocked out dwarf for a good bit before asking whether one of us were mages, though it was more directed towards me. When I answered yes-” She was cut off at this point by one of the men in robes.
“So you’re a mage?” he asked, his partner’s hand dropping below the table.
She raised a brow at this interruption, but answered honestly. “Yes, yes I am. Now, as I was saying-”
“You wouldn’t, by any chance, be from Rusty Hearts, would you?” He reached up to his hood, as if her was about to pull it down.
“Yes, I am. Might I ponder why you ask?” She tilted her head slightly, reaching for a parasol that sat against the table leg. The man pulled his hood down, revealing his white hair that fell gently over steel gray eyes. The other brought his hand up, revealing a knife. With his other hand, he copied the actions of his partner showing off blonde hair accompanied with hazel eyes. He wore a confident smirk, supposedly intimidating. The girl didn’t even blink.
“We hope you don’t mind, you do seem like a nice lady,” the blonde started. “But we’ve been sent to kill you.”
The man with the white hair hardly waited a second after his partner finished before throwing the knife. The girl brought up her umbrella, expecting such an action. The knife sliced through the fabric, wedging itself in the handle. She sighed, shaking her head.
“You know, I just bought this one last week, so I don’t very much appreciate this knife here.” She tugged the hilt, pulling it out and tossing it at the floor. “Now, if you have anything you’d like to say, how about we take this outside?” She rose, handing her torn accessory to the ginger and walking towards the door. Stepping out, she walked another five yards before she turned around. She crossed her arms as the duo walked out. “Before we get started, I do believe we should get on a first name basis. I’m Victoria, and you?” she asked, blinking her eyes. The color altered after this, the left eye changing from brown to pink and the right from pink to brown.
The two spoke not a word at this, instead charging at her with daggers they pulled from the sleeves of their robes. Victoria shook her head lightly at this, as if disappointed whilst dodging the two. As they passed, she brought her leg up, kicking at the blonde’s back. He toppled over, his blades falling from his grasp. His partner rolled his eyes at his fallen partner, his attention caught once again by the girl in white.
She shook her head. “Huh, look at you two, not even a word in response. All I ask is that you share your names. I shared mine after all,” she said, watching the blonde push himself up and dust the dirt off. He mumbled something, the daggers behind him vanishing in exchange for a longsword in his hands. Victoria watched him charge once more, swinging his sword through the air as he reached her. She jumped back just in time to only receive a cut on the arm. She put on a false act, the wound sealing with a soft glow on her arm. She gestured to the tear on her sleeve. “My jacket, too? You men certainly have no mercy.”
Ignoring her, the second one came from behind the first, slicing again with the daggers. She ducked, sweeping his legs out from beneath him and tripping the snowy-haired male. The blonde swung again with his sword as she came up, missing the top of her head by a mere inch. She sprinted out of the close corners, putting at least three yards between her and them.
“What, are you going to play chicken with us?” The blonde asked, a challenging glint in his eyes. He charged again, beginning the same routine as before. Victoria put some more space between her and the males. They did the same thing once again, causing her to jump back. This time as she landed, she pushed against the ground to propel herself into the air. A soft blue glow emanated from her back, translucent wings carrying her further until she was on the ground behind the gray-eyed man. She wrapped an arm around his throat and tugged him back.
“I don’t really want blood on my gloves today,” she stated, tightening her hold. “So, please, don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.”
She raised a fist, her hand landing full force on the man’s temple. She let go long enough for him to drop and reach for his head before she raised her foot, kicking him twice square in the face. He fell over with a bloody nose, the impact leaving him stunned - if not unconscious - for a good while. Her gaze landed on the blonde again who was watching with dark eyes. She studied the male who practically glared daggers through her skull, a scowl painting his lips.
“The man was so useful, too.” He shook his head. “And yet he was that weak. No matter, though. He wasn’t necessary.”
“You shouldn’t look down on him like that if he’s your partner.” Victoria crouched down, grabbing a card from the inside pocket of the nonfunctioning man’s robe. She slipped it in her own pocket and began walking closer to the blonde. “It’s not like he’s dead, after all.” She watched him charge again with his longsword. She sprung up and out of the range of the blade, landing behind him. He spun around, sword extended. Not expecting such an action, Victoria dodged it as best as she could. A deep slice was left on her shoulder, blood staining her jacket as it began healing. She stepped back for a moment as the wound finished sealing. The glow faded as he charged again. She leaped back into the air, landing a good distance away from him.
The blonde, angered by her dodges, changed weapons. He mumbled a few words, his sword vanishing in exchange for a crossbow. He loaded three bolts at once and shot, one landing in the leg of the Sky Spirit. He loaded again and shot, the bolt skimming her stomach. Victoria dodged as she could, removing the arrow as the wounds sealed. She jumped and ducked, avoiding the bolts as she could until she was closer. She blinked, her eyes shifting colors once more to a plain brown. Her smile fell into a straight line. She sprinted over, bumping the crossbow so that its aim was upwards. She placed a hand at his stomach. “Zephyr’s Edge!” Almost instantly, his cloak was tattered and his stomach bleeding. He was thrown back several yards by the impact, the air knocked right out of his lungs.
Victoria sprinted over as he began to pick himself up, her mind working out a plan. Her boot made contact with his head as she kicked it out, knocking him back. He caught himself, managing to stand up before her next attack. His crossbow vanished as did his bolts, being replaced by a glowing red sword. He brought it forward as she charged, stabbing it into her stomach. It stung, burned at her flesh before it was removed. He went to stab again, only to cut through just beneath her ribcage as she stepped back. The flesh around the cut singed, burning it slightly wider for a second afterwards. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that. You have a few tricks up your sleeve. I’ll have to remember that.”
“And you can heal,” the male replied. “So are you going to come closer so I can stab you again?” Victoria didn’t respond, taking more steps back as the wounds sealed again. She brought her hands to one side and placed them one above another leaving a five-inch gap between them. She curled her fingers to point towards each other. “Sky Sphere.” Small at first, an orb began to build between her palms until it reached the size slightly larger than a softball. The power it contained swirled quickly within, catching the disappointed gaze of the blonde. He raised a brow, bringing his eyes up to Victoria’s face. “That little ball of wind is going to do what to me?”
Victoria removed her top hand, clamping it around her upper arm. She sprinted forward, moving directly towards the male. He readied his weapon to plunge into her stomach once again, the two of them hitting one another simultaneously. His blade landed in her stomach, burning at the skin around it. She stumbled back a bit as he let go, but not before her attack hit. The sphere pushed around him, spinning him into the air forming a cone of darkness. She took an intake of air, removing the dagger from her stomach and tossing it down. As he landed and she finished up, she sprinted closer. Breathing heavily, he pushed himself to his feet still trying to regain his senses. Victoria quickly put a hand to her mouth, speaking the words, “Sky God’s Exhale.”
She blew air from her mouth, black and twisting as it formed into a whirlwind. The male was brought into her attack before it had even reached its full potential, his eyes wide as he was lifted up into the air and dropped to the ground, the sharp winds having torn through both robe and skin alike. If one were close enough, they could hear the crack of bones with the thud as he had hit the ground accompanied with a low and pained, "Shit!" She stepped over to his weakened and bleeding body, shaking her head slightly as the man’s weapon vanished behind her. A single knife reappeared, one of which he decided to stab in her foot. She hissed at the pain she hadn’t been expecting and bent over to pull out the knife. Glaring at the man, she felt her wounds seal with a soft blue glow before putting the knife right through his hand and into the ground beneath it. Keeping him pinned to the ground with her boot resting on his forehead, she searched his robe until finding a small card, and she took the one from her pocket.
“Ferot and Rynd. See? That wasn’t so hard. I probably should ask who sent you, but you boys seem a little tied up, so maybe next time.” She stood up and stepped back to lightly tap his ribcage with her boot, earning a low groan from him. She glanced back at the stunned male who had just started to come back into focus, considering sending his head back to the stars before deciding against it. He’d be fine. Her gaze flickered to the doorway of the restaurant where the ginger drunk with her umbrella stood clapping and shouting about finishing them. She let out a soft laugh and bent back down, snatching some jewels from his pocket before turning and walking back towards the building, stopping a step away before giving them one last glance. “Oh, this can pay for that parasol as well as another drink for our ginger pal there, okay? You have fun down there, and keep an eye on your friend.”
She gestured as an example to the ginger beside her who was staring sadly at his mug, torn between it and likely his money.
“There were about two other people, but they were different from you guys,” she continued, speaking more directly towards the robed men. She toyed a bit with the sleeve of her white jacket. “One of them was an average height, dark-skinned with eyes of coal. The other was a young girl, his daughter. She was small and at that ‘I-Get-What-I-Want-When-I-Want-It’ stage. Well, I let her and her father sit with me and the dwarf. Of course I was polite. I even paid for the girl’s juice at one point.”
The two mystery figures seemed slightly curious, though not enough so to keep their heads up. They rested their heads on their hands, sighing with a hint of boredom. The ginger finally returned his attention to her, his mug full once again. The girl smiled just a bit, and she continued her story.
“Well, it was all fine and dandy until the father put his child to bed. He returned back about half an hour later with a small bruise on his cheek. It was quite evident that she didn’t want to go to sleep, but that’s irrelevant,” she shrugged at this. “He joined me at the table with a drink in his hands. He hadn’t had any until that point, of course. He was trying to be a good father. Though, I don’t see the point in not doing that if you’re going to sit at a table with a drunken dwarf in the first place. Anyways, we talked for a bit into the night. He ranted on about how his ‘baby gets spoiled by her mom’, about his ex-wife, and about some people his mom was dealing with. I learned later on that night that his mom was a mage, and he was taking a vacation with their girl while she was on some mission. Eventually, it got to the point where he began downgrading mages, calling them things I don’t feel up to repeating. And then he remembered I was there.”
The robed men seemed more attentive at that point. They lifted their heads from their resting positions, making the girl’s smile broaden just a hair.
“He had been looking between me and the knocked out dwarf for a good bit before asking whether one of us were mages, though it was more directed towards me. When I answered yes-” She was cut off at this point by one of the men in robes.
“So you’re a mage?” he asked, his partner’s hand dropping below the table.
She raised a brow at this interruption, but answered honestly. “Yes, yes I am. Now, as I was saying-”
“You wouldn’t, by any chance, be from Rusty Hearts, would you?” He reached up to his hood, as if her was about to pull it down.
“Yes, I am. Might I ponder why you ask?” She tilted her head slightly, reaching for a parasol that sat against the table leg. The man pulled his hood down, revealing his white hair that fell gently over steel gray eyes. The other brought his hand up, revealing a knife. With his other hand, he copied the actions of his partner showing off blonde hair accompanied with hazel eyes. He wore a confident smirk, supposedly intimidating. The girl didn’t even blink.
“We hope you don’t mind, you do seem like a nice lady,” the blonde started. “But we’ve been sent to kill you.”
The man with the white hair hardly waited a second after his partner finished before throwing the knife. The girl brought up her umbrella, expecting such an action. The knife sliced through the fabric, wedging itself in the handle. She sighed, shaking her head.
“You know, I just bought this one last week, so I don’t very much appreciate this knife here.” She tugged the hilt, pulling it out and tossing it at the floor. “Now, if you have anything you’d like to say, how about we take this outside?” She rose, handing her torn accessory to the ginger and walking towards the door. Stepping out, she walked another five yards before she turned around. She crossed her arms as the duo walked out. “Before we get started, I do believe we should get on a first name basis. I’m Victoria, and you?” she asked, blinking her eyes. The color altered after this, the left eye changing from brown to pink and the right from pink to brown.
The two spoke not a word at this, instead charging at her with daggers they pulled from the sleeves of their robes. Victoria shook her head lightly at this, as if disappointed whilst dodging the two. As they passed, she brought her leg up, kicking at the blonde’s back. He toppled over, his blades falling from his grasp. His partner rolled his eyes at his fallen partner, his attention caught once again by the girl in white.
She shook her head. “Huh, look at you two, not even a word in response. All I ask is that you share your names. I shared mine after all,” she said, watching the blonde push himself up and dust the dirt off. He mumbled something, the daggers behind him vanishing in exchange for a longsword in his hands. Victoria watched him charge once more, swinging his sword through the air as he reached her. She jumped back just in time to only receive a cut on the arm. She put on a false act, the wound sealing with a soft glow on her arm. She gestured to the tear on her sleeve. “My jacket, too? You men certainly have no mercy.”
Ignoring her, the second one came from behind the first, slicing again with the daggers. She ducked, sweeping his legs out from beneath him and tripping the snowy-haired male. The blonde swung again with his sword as she came up, missing the top of her head by a mere inch. She sprinted out of the close corners, putting at least three yards between her and them.
“What, are you going to play chicken with us?” The blonde asked, a challenging glint in his eyes. He charged again, beginning the same routine as before. Victoria put some more space between her and the males. They did the same thing once again, causing her to jump back. This time as she landed, she pushed against the ground to propel herself into the air. A soft blue glow emanated from her back, translucent wings carrying her further until she was on the ground behind the gray-eyed man. She wrapped an arm around his throat and tugged him back.
“I don’t really want blood on my gloves today,” she stated, tightening her hold. “So, please, don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be.”
She raised a fist, her hand landing full force on the man’s temple. She let go long enough for him to drop and reach for his head before she raised her foot, kicking him twice square in the face. He fell over with a bloody nose, the impact leaving him stunned - if not unconscious - for a good while. Her gaze landed on the blonde again who was watching with dark eyes. She studied the male who practically glared daggers through her skull, a scowl painting his lips.
“The man was so useful, too.” He shook his head. “And yet he was that weak. No matter, though. He wasn’t necessary.”
“You shouldn’t look down on him like that if he’s your partner.” Victoria crouched down, grabbing a card from the inside pocket of the nonfunctioning man’s robe. She slipped it in her own pocket and began walking closer to the blonde. “It’s not like he’s dead, after all.” She watched him charge again with his longsword. She sprung up and out of the range of the blade, landing behind him. He spun around, sword extended. Not expecting such an action, Victoria dodged it as best as she could. A deep slice was left on her shoulder, blood staining her jacket as it began healing. She stepped back for a moment as the wound finished sealing. The glow faded as he charged again. She leaped back into the air, landing a good distance away from him.
The blonde, angered by her dodges, changed weapons. He mumbled a few words, his sword vanishing in exchange for a crossbow. He loaded three bolts at once and shot, one landing in the leg of the Sky Spirit. He loaded again and shot, the bolt skimming her stomach. Victoria dodged as she could, removing the arrow as the wounds sealed. She jumped and ducked, avoiding the bolts as she could until she was closer. She blinked, her eyes shifting colors once more to a plain brown. Her smile fell into a straight line. She sprinted over, bumping the crossbow so that its aim was upwards. She placed a hand at his stomach. “Zephyr’s Edge!” Almost instantly, his cloak was tattered and his stomach bleeding. He was thrown back several yards by the impact, the air knocked right out of his lungs.
Victoria sprinted over as he began to pick himself up, her mind working out a plan. Her boot made contact with his head as she kicked it out, knocking him back. He caught himself, managing to stand up before her next attack. His crossbow vanished as did his bolts, being replaced by a glowing red sword. He brought it forward as she charged, stabbing it into her stomach. It stung, burned at her flesh before it was removed. He went to stab again, only to cut through just beneath her ribcage as she stepped back. The flesh around the cut singed, burning it slightly wider for a second afterwards. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that. You have a few tricks up your sleeve. I’ll have to remember that.”
“And you can heal,” the male replied. “So are you going to come closer so I can stab you again?” Victoria didn’t respond, taking more steps back as the wounds sealed again. She brought her hands to one side and placed them one above another leaving a five-inch gap between them. She curled her fingers to point towards each other. “Sky Sphere.” Small at first, an orb began to build between her palms until it reached the size slightly larger than a softball. The power it contained swirled quickly within, catching the disappointed gaze of the blonde. He raised a brow, bringing his eyes up to Victoria’s face. “That little ball of wind is going to do what to me?”
Victoria removed her top hand, clamping it around her upper arm. She sprinted forward, moving directly towards the male. He readied his weapon to plunge into her stomach once again, the two of them hitting one another simultaneously. His blade landed in her stomach, burning at the skin around it. She stumbled back a bit as he let go, but not before her attack hit. The sphere pushed around him, spinning him into the air forming a cone of darkness. She took an intake of air, removing the dagger from her stomach and tossing it down. As he landed and she finished up, she sprinted closer. Breathing heavily, he pushed himself to his feet still trying to regain his senses. Victoria quickly put a hand to her mouth, speaking the words, “Sky God’s Exhale.”
She blew air from her mouth, black and twisting as it formed into a whirlwind. The male was brought into her attack before it had even reached its full potential, his eyes wide as he was lifted up into the air and dropped to the ground, the sharp winds having torn through both robe and skin alike. If one were close enough, they could hear the crack of bones with the thud as he had hit the ground accompanied with a low and pained, "Shit!" She stepped over to his weakened and bleeding body, shaking her head slightly as the man’s weapon vanished behind her. A single knife reappeared, one of which he decided to stab in her foot. She hissed at the pain she hadn’t been expecting and bent over to pull out the knife. Glaring at the man, she felt her wounds seal with a soft blue glow before putting the knife right through his hand and into the ground beneath it. Keeping him pinned to the ground with her boot resting on his forehead, she searched his robe until finding a small card, and she took the one from her pocket.
“Ferot and Rynd. See? That wasn’t so hard. I probably should ask who sent you, but you boys seem a little tied up, so maybe next time.” She stood up and stepped back to lightly tap his ribcage with her boot, earning a low groan from him. She glanced back at the stunned male who had just started to come back into focus, considering sending his head back to the stars before deciding against it. He’d be fine. Her gaze flickered to the doorway of the restaurant where the ginger drunk with her umbrella stood clapping and shouting about finishing them. She let out a soft laugh and bent back down, snatching some jewels from his pocket before turning and walking back towards the building, stopping a step away before giving them one last glance. “Oh, this can pay for that parasol as well as another drink for our ginger pal there, okay? You have fun down there, and keep an eye on your friend.”
Total Words: 2384
Extra Note(s): This is created assuming that Victoria possesses Sky God Slayer magic. This magic may not be guaranteed.
Extra Note(s): This is created assuming that Victoria possesses Sky God Slayer magic. This magic may not be guaranteed.
