It looks like we'll be to the next town in about an hour walking at this pace…Lina thought to herself as she looked up at the sky while stretching luxuriously. We're a little behind schedule- - OK a week and a half behind schedule…but it's not that big of a deal.
It's not like there's any way that Luna or the Eternal Queen could find out that the investigation was over almost as soon as it began, and there's no way for them to be able to tell when to expect me back. Even I wasn't expecting this entire deal to be solved so quickly.
And besides, I'm really not in that big of a hurry to get back home anyway… I've been having a blast lately just being out here on the road…
The redhead turned her head toward Katibree to strike up another of their many conversations, but the words died in her throat as she took note of the ex-assassin's subtle change in body language.
The half elf was walking with her head straight forward, but her lavender eyes where slightly narrowed and shifting back and forth from one side of the dirt path to the other, scanning the brush on either side of them from the corner of her eyes.
We're being followed?
"How many Kat?" the sorceress whispered."
"I can't really tell because I can't hear any footsteps clearly enough to count, but there are at least two because we're being tailed from either side of the path." Katibree whispered back.
"Well why don't we just confront them and get it over with then?" "I can take a few bandits or whatever even without my powers." Lina whispered back while making a dismissive gesture.
"This time I'd rather not actually, they're moving through the brush much too skillfully to be regular thugs, and besides that, I smell gun powder." The half elf whispered back while giving the redhead a serious glance before going back to scanning the brush for movement. It almost feels like we're being hunted…
The sorceress continued to walk, doing her best impression of being blissfully ignorant of their current situation as her mind kicked into overdrive.
Kat's definitely not happy with this situation, I don't ever think I've seen her this reluctant to fight before, but with guns being involved I guess I can see why.
When guns were first introduced they were laughable, but now with all the advancements in technology, they've actually become pretty formidable. If I had my powers right now, I could just blast the surrounding area and be done with this… So what do I do…?
"They're making their move." The ex-assassin whispered, her eyes tracing the movement of the ambushers through the brush as they moved ahead of the two girls in an attempt to cut them off.
Lina nodded grimly in a barely noticeable motion as they continued to walk as if nothing was wrong.
Soon enough, five beast men of various types burst forth from the bushes on either side of the dirt path, several yards ahead of the sorceress and ex-assassin.
A beast man with a coyote head, most likely the leader, was the first to speak.
"Well, what do we have here, looks like two succulent little morsels on the rag…"
He knows that we're both…but how? Kat would have definitely caught them if they'd been close enough to watch us at all…Lina thought to herself, while resisting the urge to reach for her short sword just yet.
None of them look like they are carrying guns, all I see are swords, but I know I smell gunpowder…Where's it coming from, are they carrying explosives? Katibree mused while studying the postures of the 5 beast men jeering at them from a distance.
"Let me guess, you guys are traveling merchants that just happen to be having a sell on maxi pads." the ex-assassin replied dryly in an attempt to stall for time. I can get a couple of them from here, but I want to find the source of that gunpowder before I make a move…
"Oh, an one O' them is even a comedian, ain't that just precious?" The leader of the beast men said while taking a few steps forward. "And not at all, one of us picked up your scents from down stream a day or so ago and we been tracking you ever since." He added.
"You both smelled so fertile that we couldn't help ourselves!" A ram headed goon behind the leader added while licking his chops.
Lina's mind brought up the image of the trickle of her blood rising to the surface of the water before drifting downstream during her bath the other day. Now I get it, and they must have smelled Kat's too…
The expression on the half elf's face hadn't changed but her eyes had become as cold as ice, the promise of death showing deep within the depths of them. Despicable scum, gunpowder be damned, I'm ending this farce now.
With that last thought, Katibree snapped her blades out their sheaths and flung them at the unsuspecting beast men, decapitating one and severing the arm of the leader of the group, who immediately fell to the ground howling.
WHOA, I guess its Showtime! The redhead exclaimed to herself as she drew her short sword hurriedly to help intercept the three enraged and charging beast men that remained. The guy's head and the other guy's arm just… went away! I didn't even register that Kat had done anything until her blades went whizzing past!
Lina ran forward, locking blades with the first beast man that got to them before jumping back to square off with him.
The ex-assassin ran toward the other two beast men dropping down and into a sweep kick to get one of the beast men off of his feet. As he lost his balance, falling to the ground with a thud, the half elf continued to spin while returning to a standing position and brought her boot down on the now grounded beast man's windpipe with her momentum, killing him instantly.
The sorceress, currently occupied nearby, staggered backwards while dodging and parrying blows from the huge Minotaur headed beast man that she was fighting. She winced as every blow that she parried sent a shock of pain into her hands and down into her arms. He's so damned strong, my hands and arms will go numb at this rate and I'll end up dropping my weapon…
The redhead jumped back once more, putting distance between herself and the beast man before running and sliding between his legs while holding up her short sword. As soon as the sword connected with and sliced through some very important parts, the creature dropped to it's knees roaring miserably until it's cries were cut short by a two handed stroke to back of his neck by the sorceress. That did the trick, how's Kat doing? Lina wondered to herself while turning in the direction of the sounds of the other fight.
The ex-assassin bobbed and weaved a few times to avoid the angry swings of the last standing beast man's battle axe before catching her returning weapons.
Suddenly the leader, who had only been bleeding, wheezing, and clutching where his arm should have been up to this point, began shouting angrily.
"What the HELL is you WAITING for you IDIOT??" "Fucking SHOOTS THEM!" He bellowed angrily.
I KNEW I smelled gunpowder, shit he's shouting at someone behind Lina! Katibree thought to herself, narrowly avoiding the last angry swing from the battleaxe of the beast man she'd just been fighting as she spun and sprinted toward the sound of rustling brush behind the redhead.
There's another one?? Well, it looks like she's got it covered. Lina thought to herself as she watched Katibree sprinting toward her before moving forward to engage the pursuing beast man on the half elf's behalf.Sure enough, one last trembling beast man emerged from the bushes aiming a six- shooter directly at the back of the sorceress and squeezing off two shots.
The ex-assassin bolted past the sorceress and cut to the right sharply before skidding to a halt and placing herself in the gunman's line of sight before swatting aside one shot with a blade and being grazed in the shoulder with the second shot.
"Four more chances fucker." Katibree growled menacingly as she slowly advanced on the gunman while calculating the angle that he was holding his gun at to better anticipate and deflect the next shots.
I heard gunshots; I don't have time for this crap! Lina exclaimed to herself, before dropping down and rolling backwards and away from the beast man she was engaging.
"LIGHTING!" She shouted as she stretched out her free hand toward the advancing creature's face, blinding it with a brilliant flash of light. As the beast howled staggering backwards and shielding its eyes, the redhead jumped to her feet and jabbed her sword, thrusting it deeply into the beast man's stomach and twisting it viciously.
Behind the sorceress, the gunman took one shaky step back before firing the last four shots off in a panic. The ex-assassin swatted the first two pellets aside easily enough, but the last two were fired more rapidly in succession. She barely deflected the third shot and the fourth one struck her squarely in the chest, knocking the half elf backwards and off of her feet.
Lina turned her head at the sound of the last four gunshots just in time to see the half elf hit the ground with a grunt while clutching her chest, blood already beginning to pool there.
"KATIBREE hold ON!" The sorceress shouted, while struggling to release her short sword from the stomach of the fallen beast man. It's wedged in there good; I don't have time to get it out…! She thought to herself desperately as she looked over her shoulder again, first at the downed ex-assassin and then at the gunman scrambling to reload his six-shooter.
"DAMN it!!" Lina exclaimed audibly while giving up on freeing her sword as she turned and ran to the half elf's side, glancing once again at the beast man who was now unsteadily loading the last lead pellet into his gun.
I can't make it to him in time myself before he finishes loading that gun… Think Lina, THINK…
I'VE GOT IT! The redhead exclaimed to herself triumphantly while snatching up one of Katibree blades. "Take THIS you BASTARD!" Lina shouted as she flung it directly at the gunman.
The blade struck true, embedding itself in the head of a very shocked beast man who shot the air reflexively a few times before falling over dead.
The sorceress didn't give the creature a second glance as she turned her attention to Katibree. "Here, let me see it." She said quietly while leaning over the half elf.
"It doesn't look like it hit anything vital, but it looks like the slug is in there pretty deep Kat..."
The ex-assassin hissed as she tried to sit up.
"Don't get up yet, I don't have any experience with removing bullets, but I can at least try and cast a weak healing spell to try and stop the bleeding some until we can get to the next town and get you to an actual doctor." Lina said while placing a gentle but restraining hand on the half elf's shoulder.
"I can just wrap it up until we get to town, I'll be fine." Katibree said agitatedly. "No magic." She added pushing the redhead's hand off of her shoulder stubbornly.
The sorceress first glared at the half elf, and then at the wound that she was making worse by attempting to stand before whacking the larger woman over the head.
"OW, what the fuck Inverse?"
Sure, she whines about a bonk on the head loudly enough, but hardly makes a sound after being shot in the chest…The redhead thought to herself with amusement.
"Look Katibree, I know that you're already injured, but I'll gladly beat your ass some more if you don't stay still and let me heal you." Lina stated bluntly.
"What do you mean 'some more', that last shot I missed was a fluke…" The ex-assassin countered. You know, I wouldn't put it past her either… I'd probably be better just do what she says for now… Katibree thought to herself while locking eyes defiantly with the sorceress.
After a decent moment of playing the now all too common stare off game, the ex-assassin merely growled and eased herself backwards onto the ground conceding defeat this time.
She's so pigheaded! Lina fumed to herself as she attempted to cast a recovery spell to slow the bleeding and partially close the wound.
I told her I'd be fine, she so damned stubborn…The half elf bitched to herself. "This isn't going to take forever is it?" She grouched at Lina audibly.
"No, now shut your trap and let me concentrate… I don't want to close the wound too much if it's just going to have to be opened back up to get the slug out anyway..."
After a moment or so of silence between the two, the redhead stood up, "There you go Kat, and do you think you can stand?" She asked offering her hand to the half elf.
"Of course I can." Katibree growled through gritted teeth, determined to keep at least some of the pain that she was feeling out of her voice as she stood, while blatantly ignoring Lina's offer to help her up.
"Let's just go, OK?" The ex-assassin added before walking off in the direction of town and leaving Lina standing there with a slightly annoyed expression on her face.
If she re-opens that chest wound with that stupid pride of hers before we make it to a doctor, I really am going to beat her ass…Lina thought to herself while finally dropping the hand she'd offered to help the ex-assassin up with in exasperation.
She stared after Katibree a moment more while rustling her crimson mane lightly, half in bemusement and half in frustration before finally sighing in resignation and jogging after the mostly platinum haired warrior to catch up with her.