Chapter Two:
A Dance of Fire
"Answer that: Would you dance on the edge of Life and Death?"
Perplexed by these words, Lily was left speechless in a momentarily confusion. She watched the red haired girl calmly stand by, idly waiting for a reply as the monsters have encircled her, but then decided to just ignore the weird question altogether, for she has had a much bigger concern.
She ran to Szandra's side and took a hold of the fragile hand reaching out for help. The injured girl tried to wake from the ground, but the slashes across her back made that an impossible feat, as with every attempt to move, the pain struck deep into her bones like lighting.
"Synchronize!" Lily has ordered her in a strict manner, but even this serious demeanor could not hide the limitless worry that was echoing in her trembling voice.
They had known each other for long enough to understand the purpose behind the beat of their hearts. Heeding Lily's wish, Szandra closed her eyes and let the rhythm of her body guide her mind. The grip of their holding hands has tightened, and soon enough, a white, glistening light came to illuminate them; their souls joined together through this intimate channel. Stinging pain struck Lily's chest, as her Aura was absorbed by Szandra's special power, but this was a kind of ache that she was glad to suffer.
The fresh supply of this life-serving essence immediately began to heal the girl's wounds, and in a matter of seconds, the pain itself was already gone, even if the feeling may have lingered.
The redhead let out a disappointed sigh, seeing how her presence got ignored. Is that the kind of treatment she deserves for saving these souls?
"And here I am, trying to set up a theatrical stage..." She shrugged, idly spreading her arms apart. "Wasted effort."
"Ágnes!" A rare voice called out to her from behind, slightly chastising due to the fear inside. "The Grimm!"
The bespectacled girl was rightfully at unease. The threat was not gone, in fact, it was escalating, but her long-time friend seemed to dangerously disregard this.
"Keep your little pet annoying the big boy, Snowflake!" Ágnes has instructed, and then turned her red gaze back at the surrounding monsters. They really were nothing to worry about. Pests to be rid from this world. "I'll handle the fodder."
Accepting this new task without second guesses, the girl behind immediately took to her bracelet and issued new commands to her drone. The flying machine turned around and engaged the Alpha, and even though the tiny warding bullets were not able to pierce the thick fur and the bone armor, the solid construction had more than enough power to ram the large beast off-balance.
Freed from the burdens of the potentially intrusive audience, Ágnes lowered her obsidian daggers to her hips. Her stance relaxed, and deep breaths filled her lungs with the cool air of the morning. Her tanned skin absorbed the warm sunlight, filling the girl's hungering body with an overflowing essence of energy.
The beowolf at the front saw this opening and immediately rushed forward for the easy kill, however, upon arrival it found the girl spinning out of place with wild speed. Ágnes stepped aside at the very last moment, turned around on her toes and using this momentum slammed her right dagger through the temple of the beast. The blade ate away the dark flesh with ease. The creature fell forward motionless, to which the others all attacked in union, seeking revenge. The prey before them was young and fresh, and all of them sought to rip their claws into her chest.
Ágnes did not stay in the middle, she would have been stupid to do so. Keeping true to her light feet, she evaded the incoming strikes with graceful movements, as if she was dancing on the battlefield. She sought to reach the edge of the circle, and for that, every part of her body moved in perfect union. She spun around, actively using her hips to keep shifting her center of gravity, all while maintaining a balanced stance with her hourglass figure. No hit was able to connect, and the numbers of the enemy only aided her in that effort, for the beasts kept blocking each other with their ways. Ágnes on the other hand, she has had no allies to worry about, every direction was a free game.
Reaching the edge, one final enemy came to oppose her, who, in the heat of the moment was in such a position that the girl was not able to dance around. The beowolf stoop up for a body slam, exposing its belly, which Ágnes was quick to rapidly pierce. Like hungry carrion birds, the twin daggers, Life & Death, tore through the fur. Staggered from the assault, the beast could not stop the girl from sliding through its legs, breaking out of the circle and kicking the wounded Grimm back to the pack.
She was free. Quickly looking around, she made sure that Sandra's little toy was still keeping the Alpha occupied, and that the two lovebirds were far from intervening her actions.
Good. The sharp, crimson eyes turned back to the monsters ahead. She could not count them, as more and more seemed to appear from nowhere, but a smile has appeared on her face, thinking that soon enough, counting to 'zero' will be the most accurate. She reversed her grip, blades facing backwards, just as she preferred it, and began her hasty advance against the enemy. The beowolf at front reached for her incoming figure, but Ágnes slid under its paw and slashed the beast's chest with a quick swipe. She then reversed her motion and thrust the now perfectly aligned blade to pierce the creature's head through its jaw. Spinning out from under the monster, the girl sought out the closest target, not stopping her legs even for a moment.
Another set of claws came to take her life away, also a miss, and the redhead took no hesitation to tear up the blighted flesh on that arm. The Grimm howled up in pain, but its voice quickly shattered, as the daggers found themselves lodged deep into its sides, forcefully carving through the unnatural body. These beowolves were around the same size as the teenage girl, but this did not faze the young huntress-in-training. She kicked the beast in the abdomen, force it to bend forward, when crossing her daggers, with blinding speed she jabbed both into the neck of her prey. Then, with a circular motion, all her strength put into, the blades tore off the head.
Not waiting for her to get finished, another one has tackled her from behind, and while she managed to dodge away in time, she once again found herself surrounded in the middle of the circle. She stood there for a moment, trying to assess the situation with a serious gaze, when she felt something odd about this atmosphere. Her smile widened, showing those white teeth beneath, in response to this realization: The wind has stopped; surrounding them was nothing but the stagnant air.
Perfect. Now with the knowledge that she need to hold back, she rushed in for the kill.
The Alpha turned its head against Sandra. The girl instinctively took a step backwards; the Grimm must have realized that she is the controlling the drone. It ran against her, its heavy steps shaking the very ground, but just as those razor teeth were about to reach the cyan jumpsuit, Sandra disappeared from the dangerzone, saved by the quick rescue of her drone. The girl took a hold of the machine's handles to boost jump out of the way, and with a quick roll on the ground in safety, she once again ordered her flying partner to make a turn and ram into the beast. The Alpha fell on its sides, staggered by the force of this impact, but it definitely did not suffer any damage at all, merely lost its balance. That that was all right. This is all she has to do until help arrives. And speaking of help...
Using this free second to take a breather, Sandra took a glance over to her friend in battle. A red mist now took control of the air around the pack, swirling from all the movement, and slowly creeping its way through the small meadow, close to the grass. Sandra's eyes have widened behind her glasses, realizing what the future holds for them if they stay here. Staring at the fight, she saw Ágnes wildly dancing around her foes, slashing and stabbing whatever she reached with her weapons. Each hit released a small amount of this red mist from the hilts of her daggers, providing not just cover but a good form distraction too for the girl.
It was Dust. Powerful crystals, refined and powdered for the sake of convenience, holding within them unnatural energies to bend the laws of nature and science. The 'Red' colored one was extremely volatile, and seeing it slowly enveloping the area in which they were in was not something that Sandra fancied to experience. A single spark could ignite this whole mess. The girl instantly knew what Ágnes was up to, she had witnessed it once before, and just as last time, she feared that her friend might be too hasty with this action.
Taking the initiative to alter the flow of the outcome, Sandra left the Alpha's presence and ran straight against the pack. It was a crazy idea she now suddenly had, insane, but if she had learned anything from Ágnes over the years, it is that sometimes it takes a plan to be crazy to work. Making no sense may very well be enough to defy the odds.
The large monster did not leave it at that. Enraged, it ran after the fleeing girl, pushed forward on the hunt by that ever-growing lust for destruction.
In the middle of the conflict, the redhead was busy carving some space out for herself. She was beginning to tire out. Her breathing got deeper as her lungs cried for oxygen, and clear drops of sweat have formed on her forehead. Sensing the fatigue in her limbs, the Grimm got more aggressive with their strikes, impatient to break through her defenses.
The claws and teeth began to gain ground, landing closer and closer to the fragile body with every passing second. A powerful paw has grazed her body, and with quick reaction, Ágnes pierced the palm of the beast with one dagger, then spun inside the embrace of the beowolf to tear open its throat with the other. The monster fell to the ground, motionless, but its successor quickly took its place and jumped at the girl from behind the body. Unforeseen, all of a sudden the whole circle of Grimm was burst open when Sandra's drone ram itself through the lines.
Ágnes would have lied had she said she was not surprised, but she had to admit that her friend's timing was perfectly on-point. Using this gap in the formation, Sandra herself has ran into the middle, pushing her back against the redhead's to provide helpful support.
"That was quite bold of you," Ágnes casually noted, taking a free breath while she was able to. She was intrigued by Sandra's hidden intentions; there's no way she came here to fight. "Any reason in particular?"
Not needed Sandra's words to tell the tale, Ágnes's question was automatically answered when the Alpha tore through the lines of its fellow Grimm, in search for the annoying presence.
"Yea, that might do it," she said, nodding in agreement with herself.
The large beast was angered beyond redemption. Its red eyes were glowing with pure, undistilled rage, and its movements have shown a lot more erratic motion than before, suggesting a loss of patience. At first, Ágnes was taken back by this new encounter, as she had precisely ordered Sandra to keep the Alpha away from her, but noticing the red mist swirling where it stood, the girl immediately forgave her friend. 'Quick thinking!' she has praised her in her thoughts.
Assured of victory, Ágnes made a step forward to face the monster. The Alpha's head was as large as her torso, and even while standing on all fours it had to lower its posture to meet the girl at eye level. The werewolf creature let out a threatening roar, but Ágnes did not flinch at this futile showcase of power.
"We've just met, and you are already badmouthing me..." she shook her head in dramatic disappointment. Sandra was pulling on her arm, silently urging to spring the trap, more and more desperate. "We may be guests in your forest, but soon it will be you who is going to enjoy my hospitality. So I would advise some courtesy."
Not heeding these last words, the Alpha jumped forwards for the kill, but in that instant, a shimmer of golden light shone up briefly in the eyes of its prey.
First, there was a light, which is all that has registered in Lily's mind for that split second that felt like a lifetime. A blinding, cleansing shine, incinerating the darkness all around. She averted her eyes by reflex, also lying down on top of Szandra, too, to protect. What was it she was so afraid of in this brief moment of a heartbeat? Everything has happened to fast. Her instincts were yelling at her, 'Escape disaster!', but only later did she finally understand the gravity of the situation.
When the hand of time finally moved the Present one second ahead into the Future, the shockwaves have arrived, tearing through the meadow with extreme prejudice. The very ground was shaken by this power, and an unbearable heat has taken domination. Lily and Szandra both looked up from the each other's covering embrace, ears still ringing from the blast, but the sight that was laid before them was not something either of them has expected.
Fire. Devouring flames were eating away the world in every direction. Szandra's trembling gaze was darting all over this oblivion, trying to grasp the ongoing destruction of her reality. Lily remained a bit more collected, but she too has felt her body paralyzed by this primal fear.
The whole meadow was ablaze, ignited by the volatile red mist. Thick, black smoke rose above the treeline, high up into the sky, tainting the clouds, and the fire was spreading through the grass like flowing wine. The girls got up from the ground with haste, much less they too will fall a victim to this painful demise. Everywhere they've turned they have only seen the flames, however, Lily's eyes got caught on one distinct figure, standing in the very middle of this hellfire. A shadow was cast on the demonic tongues of red and orange, and with slow, graceful moves, Ágnes has emerged from the ruins of this world. The heated air was wildly playing with her dark crimson hair, and her red eyes seemed to be glowing, reflecting the bright colors of her surroundings.
Her steps were calm, refined, but eventually she stopped; her arms spread across.
"Welcome," she greeted the two girls, as the rabid flames behind her have framed the curves of her body. "Welcome to this Dance of Fire."
The Grimm were gone, instantly finished by the blast that they were caught in. No more howls. No more darkness. Sandra did a great job luring the pack leader in there as well; with merely one attempt, everything was simultaneously incinerated.
Ágnes took a deep, pleasing breath, and her lips curved into an accomplished smile.
"Behind you!" a scream came alive, terrified, witnessing the emerging shadow in the wall of fire.
The redhead turned around, but she couldn't even finish this motion by the time the set of claws have struck her in the torso. The girl was swatted away by an amazing force, flying out from the flames and hitting a tree at the edge of the burning meadow. Time slowed down from this sudden shot of adrenaline, as Ágnes gasped in pain, but with her diaphragm momentarily paralyzed, no air came to her lungs for aid.
The Alpha roared up into the darkening sky, now standing on its hind legs to arch over its many prey. The sole survivor of this calamity, its fur was burned, but nothing else have harmed it. Another roar has quickly followed, shaking the already sizzling air. The monster's composure was lost. It became a raging beast without limits, unpredictable and bloodthirsty. No more play, no more experimenting.
Trembling from this second encounter, Szandra began to forcefully tug Lily on the arm.
"R-run!" she shouted to her friend, as the rising fear forced the tears out on her face.
Seeing the monster of darkness embracing the fire as its own... that was the straw her mind could no longer pull.
'It's indestructible! This power... That's not how they've told what the Grimm was!'
To Be Continued...