They couldn't leave fast enough. Alizarin and Amaranth knew perfectly well what Oren was capable of, and it would not be pleasant to stick around. They had left so fast that they hadn't closed the loading ramp to the ship. That was fine, in fact Alizarin wanted it open, so she could watch to see if Oren was giving chase. They were above the warehouse now. Suddenly something launched out of the roof leaving a hole. Alizarin caught a brief glimpse of it, it appeared to be the paladin they left behind... but only the top half of it. Suddenly the roof started cracking and the whole thing caved in, sending up a massive cloud of dust. She saw the huntsmen and soldiers evacuating the building.
"What's going on?" Asked an approaching Amaranth.
"I'm not sure yet." Responded Alizarin.
"What was that?"
"What?"
"I saw something!"
Alizarin squinted and could swear for a brief moment she saw a face in the dust cloud. Suddenly a huge skeletal hand reached out and grabbed the ship next to theirs. The hand smashed it down to the earth. Then the skeletons face emerged from the dust and looked right at Alizarin.
"Close the loading ramp!" Shout Alizarin. It was too late , the skeleton smacked the ship sending it flying off course. Whoever was piloting would surely get a promotion, because they managed to recover before they crashed. But not before Alizarin fell out of the open loading ramp. The last thing she saw as she was falling was Amaranths grief stricken face.
Alizarin landed hard near a tree, she was alive, but one of her legs was broken. She looked up and was relieved to see the rest of the ships escaping. At least Amaranth would be OK. Now all Alizarin could do was wait for the inevitable as the face of the giant skeleton stared right at her. And hear an enraged roar.
Oren saw the remaining two or three ships flying off in the distance, and let out a roar of anguish that his prey eluded him. He had grown giant bones out of his body until he resembled a giant skeleton. His body wasn't completely covered, his head and torso were protruding from the from of the skeletons spine, but still behind the rib cage. He didn't miss the figure falling from the ship, he turned his head to see where the person had landed. The skeleton turned his head with him. Laying against a tree he saw none other than Alizarin. He shed himself out of the giant skeleton which froze in place and started disintegrating. He landed on the ground and began slowly walking toward Alizarin.
He started growing a single long bone out of his spine. He grabbed it and casually pulled it over his shoulder. As the bone swung it was creating a long curved blade. When Oren finished pulling his weapon over his shoulder, he was holding a bone scythe. He used his shockwaves to propel himself forward, running at a speed that normally beyond the limits of a normal human. He swung his bone scythe right for Alizarins neck. Alizarin closed her eyes and braced herself.
"Oren!" Shouted a voice. Oren stopped, his blade a mere inch from Alizarins neck. The residual shockwave from the speed he was running created a large gust of wind that blew through the trees behind Alizarin.
"...ah...yes... I nearly forgot. Oren would be quite upset if I broke that one promise." He looked over at Helen, who had shouted Oren's name. "Thank you for reminding me. ". He looked back at Alizarin. "I will spare you."
Oren began walking towards Helen and motioned for her to come closer.
"Who are you?" Asked Helen trembling.
"Unfortunately I am on a time crunch, I will... ware off in just a little bit, so I don't have time for questions. I need to say a couple things while I still have control."
"...ok"
"First of all, regardless of what you may think, I am completely on Oren's side. And make sure to tell him that when he wakes up. Second,". He pulled Helen closer so only she could hear, "you and I both know that Oren isn't the best at dealing with his emotions. He's been bottling for ten years until just now, his greatest fear has been realized. I'm worried that when he wakes up he may do something stupid... if you understand me."
"...he wouldn't."
"He's worse than you think. He denies an entire part of his existence and refuses to face his past."
"But... he never.. he seemed so..." Helen was having trouble formulating a complete thought.
"Lastly, his condition is going to be critical when he comes back. He refuses to try and train himself to withstand my power, as a result his body can't handle the transformation as much as it should. Tell him to train to control my power so that he stops almost dying every time he uses me."
Helen tried to sense any sort of malice or deception coming from the creature inhabiting Oren. But she couldn't, she could only sense worry and regret.
"Why do you care about him so much?" She asked. But it was too late, black smoke began billowing off of Oren as his black fur and bone armor began to dissolve. He collapsed to his knees and fell forward on to his face.
Soldiers immediately ran forward and grabbed Alizarin and began escorting her away. Helen glared at her. She knew Alizarin was responsible for Oren's condition. Suddenly she felt a hand grab her ankle she looked down and saw Oren. Tears streaming down his face.
"Please... don't leave me...". He managed to choke out. His walls had come down, and now Helen could feel everything. It was the most pure fear she had ever felt with her semblance. Oren fell unconscious.