The ground was shaking all around them , an omen of death awaiting them at the end of their course. A droplet of sweat rolled upon Luxanna's forehead followed by several others and her heart felt as if it was two seconds from bursting free from her chest ; the initial shock at the sight of the Void spawn had not quite worn off yet and she could feel a pit in her stomach. Nonetheless , the sovereign did not allow herself to be stuck in place by this temporary weakness.
The distance they had run was meager and yet there were no traces of corpses left from where the Xer'Sai once was which only pushed forth an horrible thought in Lux's mind : they had been eaten. Completely.
Her stomach almost turned.
The two nobles came to a sudden halt. Annabelle was trembling beyond reason and her eyes were reddened by tears as she stared at her sovereign with fear and inquiry. The older woman forced herself to offer a reassuring smile.
" Listen to me. We are going to be fine , yes? When I tell you to , run as fast as you can without stopping ; I will take care of this and join you. "
" Your Highness… "
" Miss Crownguard! Come on. You will do that for me , yes? "
The young noble slowly nodded and Lux was reminded of the girl's young age by the view of her puffy eyes and pouty lips. She did swear nothing would happen to this young one as long as she was under the monarch's wing.
The sand sagged underneath the nobles' second after second due to the beast approaching ; Luxanna had a deep breath , eyes closed as she allowed her magic to root itself into the ground and sense the exact moment the enormous mass was to leap from the bowels of the earth.
" Now! Run! "
Never in her life did Lux Crownguard expect to witness a Xer'Sai so closely , at least as tall as a mansion with an hellish maw big enough to devour at least four whole women of her stature , it truly was a beast emerging from death's worst nightmares. Calling forth her weapon into her hand , the handle of Moon Silver comfortable and familiar in the palm of her hand , Luxanna's first reflex was to lure the monster's attention upon her and herself alone.
The earth shattered and growled in complaint as the Xer'Sai's front crashed into Lux with the sheer intent to drag her upon the sand , the impact lessened by Moon Silver's blade pushing itself against the creature's eyeless features in a storm of sparks. It was tasking to even keep her legs from slipping beneath her own weight , the exertion enough to knock the air out of her lungs and leave her arms trembling although the beast began to lose traction and speed.
The monarch freed herself with a hasty dive to the side before the incredible body to her front completely came to a halt. Piercing eyes searched for a breach , a weak point in the creature's shell they seemed to find near its belly where the woman decided to plunge her blade's length into ; the light from the weapon poured itself within the Xer'Sai form and spread to every inch of its being like fire which caused it to release a blood freezing screech , brutally thrusting one of its clawed hands out in order to strike its opponent.
But before the claws could reach Luxanna and tear her flesh a rainbow - colored burst of light surged from her very being which went through the Void spawn ; in the span of only an instant the world had turned white.
The noble's legs were unsteady as she pushed herself away from the unmoving husk , uncertain whether or not it had drawn its last breath or was simply temporarily immobilized due to its wounds but the fear of witnessing the beast's great body animate itself was enough to push Lux to quickly run to a safer distance. The attempt of mismatched eyes reaching in the sky to catch sight of the Sun Disc in the horizon taught her that her clash with the Xer'Sai had brought her further away than where she had left Annabelle but the now known silhouette of a sandswimmer approaching brought much needed relief to the sovereign.
She had some luck after all.
Annabelle paced around until her legs were too weak and she had to settle against the side of one's of the great city's gates , her brown eyes blankly staring at the flow of merchants pulling behind them carts filled with bags of colorful spices and other trinkets she knew not the name of. The wait felt unbearable and eternal even as she trusted in the sovereign's return ; there was nothing she could have done , after all. Annabelle was simply a girl without powers or strength to flaunt , on the contrary , she was quite on the weak side. Yet , even as Lady Crownguard was shamed and hated for conditions given by her birth by individuals that viewed any form of magic as evil ; the young woman had nothing but respect for this ruler who had saved her life this very day.
The sun rose higher into the clear cerulean sky , its rays becoming harsher even in the shade. The lady - in - waiting's eyes widened at the sight of a familiar silhouette slowly emerging behind the bustling lively crowd , dressed in whites and golds with blonde - white strands falling upon her shoulders underneath the shadow of her hood. Luxanna's legs were left shaken by the ride upon the sandswimmer's back therefore slowing down her steps ; the pain coursing through her limbs with every motions soon forgotten at the sight of Annabelle awaiting her , safe and sound.
" I'm glad to see you well and safe. " Lux's words were earnest and light with a mirth that almost made her forget her current fatigue , her eyes considerably softening. She was content to see not a single scratch upon those youthful features yet the woman could not help but worry about the girl's mental condition. It had been a long morning , a terrible one , and she would need time to recover from this nightmare. For now , Luxanna would make sure to make her presence as reassuring as she could.
" Have you… The Xer'Sai… "
It seemed like Annabelle was dreading to even speak the thought into the air , terrified at the idea of accidentally summoning it upon them by simply speaking its name.
" I don't know if it died. " Lux didn't frankly want to verify if it had in any way. " But as long as it stays far away from us , I will be content with just that. "
A sigh escaped her before she could stifle it , the adrenaline of the fight finally wearing off and the reality finally setting in : some had lost their lives today , someone that was perhaps Annabelle's age had died and Luxanna had been unable to react until too late.
It had been a terrible morning.
" Come now, " A gentle smile sufficed to push back her thoughts , Luxanna needed to busy herself with the matters of their very travel. " We have a lot of things to accomplish. "