Alright so I tried a different type of writing style here, let's see how it turns out.
The bright moon illuminated the temple steps as I descended them. It was a long way to Mistral, so I figured that it would be best to leave during the night. Besides, that way I won't have to deal with Ulkina's religious talk, Narza's ramblings, Tia and Rowgen's daily arguments, and…I honestly didn't know what to expect from Kuhla after what happened in the library. As I continued to walk, a smile came to my face as I thought about the five other loyalists. They were certainly an unorthodox group of people that were literally brought together by the will of the gods. I would hardly consider any of them as my friends besides Kuhla, and even that relationship was in question. My mind returned to the idea of Maxwell terminating my contract and making me their enemy. How would they react? Would they actually kill me if ordered by Maxwell? Would…Kuhla obey? I forced that thought out of my head. I should not fail this mission. I cannot fail this mission. I WILL NOT fail this mission!
My thoughts were interrupted by the rhythmic sounds of footsteps on the cobblestone path in front of me. It was a steady clop clop, then a pause, clop clop, hen a pause, clop clop… In a flash I dove into the bushes. I don't know who would be traversing the path from St. Lamia Palace to the Cave of Malice during this time of night, but whoever it was, they were going to get a taste of my blade whip. I could hear the footsteps get louder, and braced myself for my opponent. However, when the figure skipped into the moonlight, I was taken by surprise.
It was a girl. But not just any girl, it seemed. She had a ballerina-like tutu on with an opening in the middle, revealing the part of her stomach and the bottom of her breasts. It extended to what seemed like a cape divided into six separate parts of dark blue and gold. The dress sparkled in extravagant shades of black, gold, pink, purple, teal, and blue. She wore black leggings and blue and gold boots. There was also what looked like a crown on her head made of even more gold and a line of pearls. Two smooth ponytails extended from the front of the crown and rested on her shoulders. The crown had fluffy...ear covers? That draped over the sides of her head. I pondered why she would bother earing ear covers, assuming that was what they were. She seemed like one of the performers from the Atrarva Republic that travelled between towns to dance for a living. Suddenly she stopped, her yellow eyes darning from left to right. I saw her black, gloved hand rest on what appeared to be a whip with seven ends resting on her waist.
"W-who's there?" she asked hesitantly.
I smirked this will be easy. "Afraid of the dark?" I called ominously form my bush, my blade whip slowly sliding out from my wrist. "Well you should be!" I yelled jumping from my hiding place at incredible speed and thrusting my weapon forward.
To my surprise, she pulled out her whip just as quickly and deflected my attack with a quick lash. Her attack seemed to possess the ability of thunder, much like Rowgen, and sent me flying backwards with a small blast of electricity. Unfazed, I leapt to my feet and prepared to attack again.
Suddenly she spoke, "I-I don't want to fight you, I was just going to the temple to ask directions to M-mistral. Won't you help me Mr. Ninja?"
I blinked. "Ninja? Really?"
She giggled. "Oops, silly me." She said with a smile. "What are you then?"
"Me? I'm Kuda, the Ma-" I stopped myself. If I let her know I'm an assassin, she'll report me once she reaches Mistral…well IF she reaches Mistral. "Er I'm just a night traveller."
"Nice to meet you Mr. Kuda! You can call me little miss Orna!" She said with a smile.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Little Miss Orna, what a beautiful dress you have!"
She giggled again, "Thanks! Heehee, it's made out of the finest fabrics in Morgan!"
Just a little more..."A, but their beauty pales in comparison to yours!" I said with a bow, inciting yet another giggle from the bubbly girl. "Say Orna" I added. "Do you happen to know Lodaga?"
"The Death God?" She asked hesitantly. "No I-"
"Don't worry, you're gonna be talking to him in a second!" I yelled as I lunged at her with my blade. Her reflexes were fast enough to jump to the side as my blade was about to make contact with her stomach, but I was able to leave a large gash in her left side.
A weak groan escaped her mouth as she collapsed to one knee behind me. "Nothing personal missy, but it's kill or be killed out here." I chuckled.
"You'll…pay for…this…you..m-meanie…" She stuttered. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and an odd yellow aura surrounded her. Her whip seemed to have come to life, its seven ends levitating around her. "LUMINOUS WHIP!" She yelled as the seven endings lashed out. I could only curl my blade in front of me as the whips crashed into me at full force. The sheer power of her attack sent me flying into a nearby tree, colliding with it with a sickening crunch. I staggered to my feet and groaned. My back ached and some bones were probably broken, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. There was no way I was going to lose to this…this…well to be honest I didn't know anything about her other than her name. But that didn't matter, she was going to DIE.
"So, the rose has thorns after all…" I said mockingly as I drew my blade whip from my wrist. I took a deep breath and focused my energy into my weapon. I saw her on her knees again, obviously weakened from her previous attack. This was my chance! My blade began to glow a dark purple, and I began to feel its familiar radiation of power "…But I think it's time to clip the stem! GODLESS!" I roared, my blade thrusting out in front of me as I charged towards her. To my surprise, my attack was met with the tips of her whip, their ends wrapping around the tip of my blade in an attempt to protect their "master". I struggled against the whip. Even in her weakened state, she still possessed the willpower to command her whip to protect herself.
With each passing second, My blade would inch closer to her, but at the same time her whip would coil itself closer o my wrist. If this continues, the whip will come into contact with my skin and… I shook the thought out of my head again and continued to focus all my energy into thrusting the blade into her chest. The tip of my blade was now mere inches away from her. We locked eyes. Her initial look of innocence had been replaced by a hardened stare, one that often showed itself on the faces of my clients as they locked blades with me. It was a look of survival, a sign that her body had been taken over by her survival instinct, and that she was quite literally fighting for her life. I always enjoyed seeing that look on the faces of my clients. Their last-second willpower always amused me and gave me the adrenaline to deal the finishing blow. But this time was different. I don't know why, but seeing her like this gave me a weird feeling, as if I shouldn't have tricked her into letting her guard down in the first place. Is this guilt? I thought. Impossible. There is no way I would feel guilt for- My thoughts were interrupted as a massive explosion erupted form between our weapons, sending us both flying with a flash of light. My head hit something hard, and my vision went black.
Alright another chapter done! I'll try to fit more stuff per chapter as there is quite a ways to go fir this little story. Please continue to review to let me know if I should change. anything.