The Case of the Grand Mages (Pt3):

WARNING, this part contains violence, you have been warned! Read with caution:

"Take a cleaver and coffee guy with you", they ordered, nodding at Charlie. "He shouldn't run around alone either."

Ash sniggered at Charlie's new nickname before turning to speak to him: "Come on then" she said, walking away from the group to the nearest cleaver who instantly started to follow her

Charlie watched on with a sigh, looking around at the place. "And what shall I do?"

"I don't know, whatever it is you do?" Ash replied shrugging her shoulders. She then turned and asked, "what is it exactly that you do?"

"And why do you need to know this?" Charlie replied, raising his eyebrows.

"Sorry just curious" Ash added with another shrug, "Come on, we need to find out if the killer is still in the building."

At this Charlie sighed and pulled out his phone and started to type on it.

Ash sighed back at him sarcastically, mimicking him perfectly

He then glanced up and glared, before going back go typing.

Ash snigered at his facial expression as they walked through the corridors of the Irish Sanctuary and its levels. Finally, she decided to break the silence. "Can you check with the other and see if they found anything?" She requested

"And how shall I do that?" Charlie replied, not looking away from his phone.(edited)

"Umm, your phone? You know the one you're using right now?" She asked, confused

"You know I don't have their number, right?" Charlie replied at her comment, confused about why she thought he would

"Never mind, i'll just call the main sanctuary number" Ash said, taking out her phone and picking out the number. She let it ring but as it went to voicemail she said: "Huh... no answer"

Charlie nodded again, not paying much attention. He lifted his phone to his ear to call someone. He quickly started talking to someone on the phone, walking away from her so she couldn't hear.

"Rude much" she muttered under her breath quickly following him while staying a decent distance away

After a few moments he glanced over his shoulder to see her and sighed. He told the person he had to go and thanked them, before hanging up. "Am I not allowed to make a few hen calls?"

"Grouchy sorry," she replied quickly, "It's just that the grand mage told us to not go off alone so I thought I would - you know - not let you go off alone?"

He sighed as he made another phone call, facing his back to her.

As he turned away from her once more, Ash heard something move behind her. She spun round on her feet to see no one there, not even the cleaver that had been instructed to follow them...

After a few seconds she heard Charlie muttered a few more things, then put his phone away and turned to her.

Ash changed her footing as she searched the corridor around them for the cleaver, suddenly, she saw something run past the end of the corridor, making her look in that direction

"Are we going?" he asked slowly.

"Umm yeah just a sec..." she trailed quietly, off still looking at the end of the corridor

Charlie looked at where she was looking and saw nothing and looked back at her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah..." she said, looking away from the end of the corridor, "yeah sorry, I thought I saw something down there but - nothing..."

"Soooo are we going? Hey, where is the cleaver?" he replied to this, looking around for their missing team mate.

"I dont know thats what I was looking for..." she relied, as she started to walk again, but this time at a quicker pace

He turned to face her and quickly caught up, matching her pace.

As they walked, they looked around worried that whatever took the cleaver out might still be around

Charlie continued to glance around, not showing his hidden concern. On the inside he was indeed terrified. He really hated buildings…

The beast that had killed the cleaver was indeed still around, following them hidden in the shadows. It was waiting for the perfect moment to attack one of them.

Ash really wanted to run, run all the way back to the Gaol and other people. She was scared. If this beast was able to kill a teleporter and a bunch of cleavers, then it must be dangerous. She heard something move behind her again, but she ignored it. If they wanted to stand a chance of discovering what this killer was, they would have to draw it out

Charlie did the opposite and glanced over his shoulder as he too heard the noise and started to walk backwards. He saw nothing so he turned back around and quickened his pace to a half jog, constantly checking over his shoulder.

"Stop looking" she hissed at him, "we need to draw it out" she said, now also jogging

As soon as the two started jogging the crocwolf's instincts took over and with a growl it ran after them.

"RUN!" Ash shouted, hearing its growls from behind them and taking off at a sprint, running away from the growl and claws that scratched the tiled floor of the sanctuary

He glanced over his shoulder and took after her, overtaking her with ease. He did start to slow after a while though and matched her pace.

"We need to get back to the others!" She shouted over the sound of running and the monster behind them.

Charlie didn't answer Ash, just keep pace with her.

The beast suddenly took a big leap, aiming for Ash's back with its claws but she heard it coming and tried to move away from its route, only managing to bump into Charlie. She was sent to the floor for her efforts

Unfortunately, Charlie didn't see her coming and tripped when he was bumped, eventually falling on his back and sliding, before leaping up from the floor backwards, turning to face the creature.

The fall nocked some of the breath out of her lungs, making her gasp. She followed Charlies example and tried to get up quickly. In doing so she stumbled before spinning on her heals to face the monster(edited)

The giant wolf was covered with thick green scales and surprisingly swift despite its size.

The Crocowolf then began to attack the two humans who wear slowly circling around it.

Suddenly, startlingly bright white lighting flew from Ash's hand towards the monster, but she missed, getting a claw slashing though the gap in her protective clothing for her efforts.

The crocowolf growled in delight as it smelled fresh blood, trying to sink its sharp teeth into her arm.

Ash cried out from its teeth as she tried again and again to shoot her lightning towards the monster... repeatedly unsuccessful. "Little help?!" She asked Charlie as she cried out again from the claws digging into her shoulder blades

He was lost in thought, trying to figure out what the creature was. He then yelled at it "Stop!" in a language it could understand.

The beast's yellow eyes shot up to stare at him, although it didn't stop using Ash as a chew toy.

Ash gave Charlie a confused look, what language was that? She gave another little gasp as the beast chewed are arm that little bit harder

"What are you doing here?" he asked in its native tongue. "Stop biting her!"

The crocowolf slowly released her arm to be able reply. "Blood", it growled. "You're prey."

Ash gasped at the release of her arm, cradling it with her uninjured other. "What the heck is going on!" she shouted at the two, thought she got no response.

Charlie held his ground, ignoring every instinct. "How about we get you out of here, and towards somewhere with some more/better prey?"

The beast let out a sound that could be its own version of laughing. "I don't trust prey. She tastes fine. No need."

"Why wouldn't you trust me? I just don't want my friend or myself hurt. I want to help you and probably save your life, although my friend over there probably wants to end it"

"Want to save yourself", it growled and took a step forward, baring its teeth.

He continued to hold his ground. "Of course, I do, but not at a disadvantage you. There are people after you. Is it worth killing us now, and you dying too? Or sparing us and living?"

"Weak prey can't kill me", it scoffed, before leaping at Charlie.

Charlie smirked as it did, then he suddenly shrunk quickly, leaving his clothes in a heap on the floor asides from a bump in them. A ferret came running out of the clothes and behind the crocowolf. The ferret started to turn into a crocowolf. "Leave" he snarled. "This is your last chance."

She gasped at Charlie's change. She had been watching the conversation as she didn't understand the language that they were speaking. She was just sat there, starring at the ferret then crocowolf that was Charlie.

The beast hesitated for a moment, its ears twitching. "You look like me, but you can't fight like me", it finally snarled, leaping again.

He sighed and jumped away from the leap, trying to catch him off guard as he landed and push him over.

But after many years of fighting experience, it saw the counterattack coming. It dodged, twisting its body to bite into his leg.

Crocowolf - Charlie let out a yelp, trying to push him off, hitting him in the face over and over.

Annoyed, it closed its eyes, its thick scales protecting it from the blows. But then it let go of his leg to target the easier victim that was currently sat on the ground watching the whole thing unfold. It then suddenly leaped at Ash again.

Crocowolf - Charlie looked in confusion at first, but quickly realised what was happening. He jumped for Ash too, trying to knock there aggressor away from her.

Ash saw them both coming towards her and her instincts kicked it. She pulled her uninjured arm up to protect herself and, without realising it, shot bolts of lightning towards the two. After noticing what she did she prayed that the monster she hit wasn't Charlie as the bolts travelled in an almost slow-motion way before colliding with one of them…