pre RAT's Story
Rating : R
Timeframe : spring 1257
The two sisters stood back to back in the middle of what had, moments ago been a crowded street. The monsters’ arrival had quickly cleared everyone else from the area. Lyssa wondered what might have permitted demons to appear within town, but there was not time to consider it at the moment as she was occupied with their disposal.
Lyssa swung her blade, easily felling one of the beasts, swiftly followed by a second and a third. From behind, she heard the sickening hiss of Ski cutting down one demon after another as well.
As she fought, she felt the strange presence of eyes on her. Scanning her surroundings as she continued to face the demons that assaulted her, she spied him in an alley. The man was wrapped so heavily in black he nearly vanished into the shadows around him, and he was most definitely watching them. It was not the terrified awe of a civilian cowering from the fight. This was the look she had grown accustomed to from her mentors in her days at school, the cold, scrutinizing stare of one taking her measure. From the look of fear that crossed his features as he realized he had been spotted, she presumed she had exceeded his expectations.
He met her gaze for only a moment before he turned and fled down the alley. Sending one last demon crumpling to the ground, Lyssa left her sister to fend for herself against the few monsters that remained and followed after.
“Lyssa!” Ski called. “Where are you-?”
“A mage,” she answered. “I’m not letting him get away this time.”
“Lyssa!” Ski repeated and her tone said, were she not busy with the last of the demons, she would have made a move to stop her sister.
Sword in hand, Lyssa raced down the alley as the man in black slipped behind a building. She rounded the corner just in time to witness him ducking through a darkened doorway. She caught the door with her shoulder as it swung shut and forced it open.
It would appear she had found the rear door to an abandoned shop. The windows at the front were heavily boarded, casting the room into darkness. The stranger’s footsteps quickly receded, leaving her to believe she was alone. The air was oppressively hot and filled with a foul, rotting stench. Lyssa wondered if she were the source of the smell, having just fought so many demons, or if it emanated from something else within the room. She blinked slowly, attempting to force her eyes, accustomed to the sunlight, to adapt to her new surroundings.
Shadow moved within shadow, and she spotted her quarry stooped at the far end of the room. With a whisper, barely audible even in the stillness of the dark shop, he laid his palms against the floor. A bright glow leapt from the elaborate lines Lyssa could now see chalked across the floorboards. The light raced round in a circle, casting an eerie glow about the room.
A spark, more intense than the rest, flared in its midst, illuminating the hollow sockets of a skull near the size of her own trunk. The pile of debris, now visible around the massive skull, writhed and convulsed as the loose bones within it snapped into placed and raised themselves off the floor. The newly formed demon lifted itself on shaky legs. The glow dissipated as it reared its hollow head. It rapidly gained control over its roughly constructed body and ceased its trembling. Nearly scraping the ceiling as it extended its neck, the beast gave a powerful roar and turned to face her.
With a last look, still inexplicably fearful, at his pursuer, the man fled up the flight of stairs behind him and vanished from her sight. Now alone with, by far, the largest demon she had ever seen, Lyssa gripped her weapon with both hands and prepared for a fight.
The demon struck first, swinging it her with its wicked fangs. Swiftly side-stepping the blow, she slammed the side of her blade into the monster’s mouth. Several of its sharp teeth fell away with a loud crunch and the demon recoiled. Lyssa spun around and delivered a blow to its leg then leapt out of the way as another of its feet came crashing down where she had just stood.
The next swipe of the monster’s jaw passed within inches of her as she found her attempt to dodge it landed her up against a wall. She slashed again at its leg and dove towards the center of the room in the brief moment the demon took to withdraw its injured limb.
The two circled each other in their narrow confines, striking and dodging, though, for long moments, neither landed another blow. Lyssa found herself slowly backed into a corner. She made a desperate slash at the demon’s ribs, carving great chunks of its rotting flesh from the bone. The beast retaliated with another thrust of its head. She ducked and the demon bashed its snout against the wall just above her head, shaking the building all the way to its foundation.
Lyssa tucked her head and rolled across the floor beneath it, giving its rear leg a sharp kick as she righted herself. The demon gave a fierce cry and tore great rents in the floor in her wake. It swung again, catching her cloak with a claw and pinning it to the floor. Lyssa panicked, suddenly finding herself trapped. She released her sword with one hand and, with a loud rip, yanked the fabric free of the demon’s grasp.
Regaining her grip on her weapon, she swung just in time to catch the demon’s paw as it came hurtling towards her again. The force of the blow shattered the demon’s toes and sent Lyssa staggering backwards against another wall. She fought to find her breath while the monster shifted its weight to its other, only slightly less damaged, front leg.
The beast returned to attacking with its fangs, narrowly missing her with its next blow. She crouched, about to escape again along the floor, but the move would not serve her another time. The demon’s head came crashing down on her leg as she tried to dive out of the way. She cried out, barely retaining her hold on her weapon, as its teeth sank, deep and painfully, into her calf. It dragged her across the floor, pinned between its jaws. The blade dangled from one hand, its tip scraping the floor, as the beast lifted her into the air.
Lyssa lifted the sword in one hand and swung, as hard as her awkward position would permit, at the demon’s neck. The blade bit a deep hole in its flesh. A low growl rumbled in its skeletal throat, but the monster tightened its grip on her leg. She screamed as the teeth scraped bone.
The demon reared its head and slammed her against the wall. Lyssa scrambled to catch her sword as the blow forced it from her hand. The hilt slid past and her fingers barely managed to wrap around the pommel. She lifted the weapon by its end to a point where she could reach it with her other hand. Gritting her teeth, Lyssa wrapped both hands around the hilt and swung with all her might, digging a deep rent in its neck.
The monster raised its head, intent on beating her against the wall again. Returning her hold on her weapon to one hand, she bent at the waist, angling her body upward as the demon’s head careened towards the wall. With her free hand, she caught the rim of the beasts hollow eye socket and held it fast. The demon’s nose struck the wall, jarring the teeth embedded in her leg, but her position saved her from any further damage elsewhere.
Lyssa could feel her strength rapidly fading. Blood flowed freely from her leg, over the monster’s teeth, pooling on the floor below. If she didn’t end the fight with the next blow, she doubted she would be able to hold out much longer.
The room was flooded with sunlight as the rear door flew open once more. “Lyssa!” Ski screamed as she ran into the room with her sword drawn.
Not waiting for her sister to save her, Lyssa was determined to end the fight on her own. Still clinging to the demon’s skull, she brought her blade down on its neck. She sliced through flesh, forced her way through bone, and, with the last bit of power she possessed, cleaved the monsters head from its neck.
The sword fell from numb fingers as Lyssa and the disenchanted skull tumbled to the floor amidst the shower of crumbling debris. In the span of a breath, Ski was kneeling beside her, swimming in and out of her fading vision as she pryed the teeth from her wounded leg.
“What did you think you were doing?” she demanded, and Lyssa thought she could see tears in her sister’s eyes.
“I… I just thought I should…” Words suddenly eluded her. “He’s… he summoned those demons… in the market… I thought I should… but it… it doesn’t matter… I couldn’t… he got away…”
“Shhh,” Ski said. “Perhaps you should save your strength.” She had cast off her own cloak and was using it to bind Lyssa’s wounds.
Lyssa struggled against the urge to close her eyes. “How… bad is it?” she ventured to ask.
Ski just shook her head. “We need to get you back to Rune. Fast.”
Lyssa blinked, still fighting to retain consciousness. “Did you…did you see that thing, Ski?”
Ski nodded. Lyssa was sure she saw her blinking back tears and wondered, as she finally lost the battle to stay awake, if, maybe, she should be afraid.
Timeframe : spring 1257
The two sisters stood back to back in the middle of what had, moments ago been a crowded street. The monsters’ arrival had quickly cleared everyone else from the area. Lyssa wondered what might have permitted demons to appear within town, but there was not time to consider it at the moment as she was occupied with their disposal.
Lyssa swung her blade, easily felling one of the beasts, swiftly followed by a second and a third. From behind, she heard the sickening hiss of Ski cutting down one demon after another as well.
As she fought, she felt the strange presence of eyes on her. Scanning her surroundings as she continued to face the demons that assaulted her, she spied him in an alley. The man was wrapped so heavily in black he nearly vanished into the shadows around him, and he was most definitely watching them. It was not the terrified awe of a civilian cowering from the fight. This was the look she had grown accustomed to from her mentors in her days at school, the cold, scrutinizing stare of one taking her measure. From the look of fear that crossed his features as he realized he had been spotted, she presumed she had exceeded his expectations.
He met her gaze for only a moment before he turned and fled down the alley. Sending one last demon crumpling to the ground, Lyssa left her sister to fend for herself against the few monsters that remained and followed after.
“Lyssa!” Ski called. “Where are you-?”
“A mage,” she answered. “I’m not letting him get away this time.”
“Lyssa!” Ski repeated and her tone said, were she not busy with the last of the demons, she would have made a move to stop her sister.
Sword in hand, Lyssa raced down the alley as the man in black slipped behind a building. She rounded the corner just in time to witness him ducking through a darkened doorway. She caught the door with her shoulder as it swung shut and forced it open.
It would appear she had found the rear door to an abandoned shop. The windows at the front were heavily boarded, casting the room into darkness. The stranger’s footsteps quickly receded, leaving her to believe she was alone. The air was oppressively hot and filled with a foul, rotting stench. Lyssa wondered if she were the source of the smell, having just fought so many demons, or if it emanated from something else within the room. She blinked slowly, attempting to force her eyes, accustomed to the sunlight, to adapt to her new surroundings.
Shadow moved within shadow, and she spotted her quarry stooped at the far end of the room. With a whisper, barely audible even in the stillness of the dark shop, he laid his palms against the floor. A bright glow leapt from the elaborate lines Lyssa could now see chalked across the floorboards. The light raced round in a circle, casting an eerie glow about the room.
A spark, more intense than the rest, flared in its midst, illuminating the hollow sockets of a skull near the size of her own trunk. The pile of debris, now visible around the massive skull, writhed and convulsed as the loose bones within it snapped into placed and raised themselves off the floor. The newly formed demon lifted itself on shaky legs. The glow dissipated as it reared its hollow head. It rapidly gained control over its roughly constructed body and ceased its trembling. Nearly scraping the ceiling as it extended its neck, the beast gave a powerful roar and turned to face her.
With a last look, still inexplicably fearful, at his pursuer, the man fled up the flight of stairs behind him and vanished from her sight. Now alone with, by far, the largest demon she had ever seen, Lyssa gripped her weapon with both hands and prepared for a fight.
The demon struck first, swinging it her with its wicked fangs. Swiftly side-stepping the blow, she slammed the side of her blade into the monster’s mouth. Several of its sharp teeth fell away with a loud crunch and the demon recoiled. Lyssa spun around and delivered a blow to its leg then leapt out of the way as another of its feet came crashing down where she had just stood.
The next swipe of the monster’s jaw passed within inches of her as she found her attempt to dodge it landed her up against a wall. She slashed again at its leg and dove towards the center of the room in the brief moment the demon took to withdraw its injured limb.
The two circled each other in their narrow confines, striking and dodging, though, for long moments, neither landed another blow. Lyssa found herself slowly backed into a corner. She made a desperate slash at the demon’s ribs, carving great chunks of its rotting flesh from the bone. The beast retaliated with another thrust of its head. She ducked and the demon bashed its snout against the wall just above her head, shaking the building all the way to its foundation.
Lyssa tucked her head and rolled across the floor beneath it, giving its rear leg a sharp kick as she righted herself. The demon gave a fierce cry and tore great rents in the floor in her wake. It swung again, catching her cloak with a claw and pinning it to the floor. Lyssa panicked, suddenly finding herself trapped. She released her sword with one hand and, with a loud rip, yanked the fabric free of the demon’s grasp.
Regaining her grip on her weapon, she swung just in time to catch the demon’s paw as it came hurtling towards her again. The force of the blow shattered the demon’s toes and sent Lyssa staggering backwards against another wall. She fought to find her breath while the monster shifted its weight to its other, only slightly less damaged, front leg.
The beast returned to attacking with its fangs, narrowly missing her with its next blow. She crouched, about to escape again along the floor, but the move would not serve her another time. The demon’s head came crashing down on her leg as she tried to dive out of the way. She cried out, barely retaining her hold on her weapon, as its teeth sank, deep and painfully, into her calf. It dragged her across the floor, pinned between its jaws. The blade dangled from one hand, its tip scraping the floor, as the beast lifted her into the air.
Lyssa lifted the sword in one hand and swung, as hard as her awkward position would permit, at the demon’s neck. The blade bit a deep hole in its flesh. A low growl rumbled in its skeletal throat, but the monster tightened its grip on her leg. She screamed as the teeth scraped bone.
The demon reared its head and slammed her against the wall. Lyssa scrambled to catch her sword as the blow forced it from her hand. The hilt slid past and her fingers barely managed to wrap around the pommel. She lifted the weapon by its end to a point where she could reach it with her other hand. Gritting her teeth, Lyssa wrapped both hands around the hilt and swung with all her might, digging a deep rent in its neck.
The monster raised its head, intent on beating her against the wall again. Returning her hold on her weapon to one hand, she bent at the waist, angling her body upward as the demon’s head careened towards the wall. With her free hand, she caught the rim of the beasts hollow eye socket and held it fast. The demon’s nose struck the wall, jarring the teeth embedded in her leg, but her position saved her from any further damage elsewhere.
Lyssa could feel her strength rapidly fading. Blood flowed freely from her leg, over the monster’s teeth, pooling on the floor below. If she didn’t end the fight with the next blow, she doubted she would be able to hold out much longer.
The room was flooded with sunlight as the rear door flew open once more. “Lyssa!” Ski screamed as she ran into the room with her sword drawn.
Not waiting for her sister to save her, Lyssa was determined to end the fight on her own. Still clinging to the demon’s skull, she brought her blade down on its neck. She sliced through flesh, forced her way through bone, and, with the last bit of power she possessed, cleaved the monsters head from its neck.
The sword fell from numb fingers as Lyssa and the disenchanted skull tumbled to the floor amidst the shower of crumbling debris. In the span of a breath, Ski was kneeling beside her, swimming in and out of her fading vision as she pryed the teeth from her wounded leg.
“What did you think you were doing?” she demanded, and Lyssa thought she could see tears in her sister’s eyes.
“I… I just thought I should…” Words suddenly eluded her. “He’s… he summoned those demons… in the market… I thought I should… but it… it doesn’t matter… I couldn’t… he got away…”
“Shhh,” Ski said. “Perhaps you should save your strength.” She had cast off her own cloak and was using it to bind Lyssa’s wounds.
Lyssa struggled against the urge to close her eyes. “How… bad is it?” she ventured to ask.
Ski just shook her head. “We need to get you back to Rune. Fast.”
Lyssa blinked, still fighting to retain consciousness. “Did you…did you see that thing, Ski?”
Ski nodded. Lyssa was sure she saw her blinking back tears and wondered, as she finally lost the battle to stay awake, if, maybe, she should be afraid.