Anarchy

"Yuki needs to go! She has put the village in danger, just look at what sprung up after the human came here!"

"Kail'n, I understand your concern, but where is your evidence? You cannot base anything unless there are witnesses that saw it, or if you saw it directly." Mesir replied, suppressing a sigh as he leaned on the wall, watching his fellow Elder pace.

"All I need to know is that the stupid Mil'janior did it, and she will be the death of us all!" Kail’n was furious, waving his hands as he talked. “Why are you not listening to me?”

“I am, Kail’n. You need to understand-- !”

"That's enough, Kail'n." A deep, ancient voice cut through what Kail'n was about to say, and as Kail'n turned to see who it belonged to, a figure could be seen walking in from the shadows. Stepping into the light, the owner of the voice looked around before speaking again. "You've yourself a fine mess here."

Mesir said nothing as Kail’n’s ears fell back, his expression turning sour. “And you’ve any idea to fix this?”

Raqios’s rusty red eyes glittered as he moved further into the light, turning and leaning against a chair. As he dipped his head, his long, burnt orange hair fell past his shoulders and touched his dark blue tunic, lined with white on the edges. Raqios’s one shouldered cape fluttered as he crossed his arms, the belt that held the cape digging into his arm. His ears, the same color as his hair, flicked and twisted to listen to his surroundings. Raqios’s unnaturally long tail brushed the floor, the dark orange color turning to brown in the shadow. His boots were covered by a guard, glinting and winking before it disappeared into the shadow as Raqios shifted.

“Went hunting again?” Mesir asked, eyeing Raqios’s clothing.

“Yes. It’s still winter, after all.”

“Can we please figure out a way to fix the problem?” Kail’n snapped, his hands resting in his lap but clutching his dark blue robe hard enough for his knuckles to turn white.

“Patience. For now, keep an eye on the villagers and protect them as best as you can. I will come up with a solution.”

“You—!”

“Enough! You cannot expect me to come up with an answer immediately. This is a situation that requires deep thinking and thorough planning.” Raqios’s face turned dark, his voice dropping as irritation slipped into his voice. The two stared at each other before Kail’n broke off, his expression turning sour.

Kail’n turned, storming out of the room. “Fine!” The door slammed behind him, causing the pair to shake their heads in response.

“So, onto business.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“What is this about the villagers being poisoned I hear? And Yuki bringing over two humans as well after coming home early.” Raqios raised an eyebrow as he settled down into a chair, giving a small sigh. He stretched himself out, relaxing in the chair. Raqios listened closely, his eyes following Mesir as he placed in the room. “Do you have an idea who the criminal is?”

“No, I don’t.” Mesir said, turning away and looking at the door, his back towards Raqios. "I'll send someone to look at it later, when we're finished with our meeting. However, I'd like to ask, where have you been?"

"Places. Most of them out of territory and most certainly outside our borders." Seeing the look on Mesir's face, he gave a short and impatient growl. "You were the one who gave me the request from the Guardians, don't give me that."

Mesir sighed. “Yes, yes, I know. I’m not implying anything.”

“But tell me. Those humans that Yuki brought with her, where are they now?”

Mesir gave a sigh, frowning. "The young girl is staying with Rymothia and the two girls," he started, but when he noticed Raqios's confused expression, he corrected himself, "Umren and Styn. And as for the young man, he already left. Rymothyia doesn't know where he left to, but nothing has happened yet, so..."

“You just let him leave?”Raqios's voice was laced with surprise as he raised an eyebrow, an incredulous note slipping in. "You just.."

"I was surprised and disorientated, but no, I didn't detain him." His back was to Raqios, his head dipped slightly and his tail curling around his leg.

"Mesir..." Raqios sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "Why didn’t you detain him? Do you know what will happen now?"

“He didn’t seem like a threat, and had done nothing but sit in the room we provided for him and read. And even when we explained the situation to him that he wasn’t particularly welcome, he immediately understood and had left immediately. And despite suspicions that came up, though Rymothyia's logic was.. different, but nonetheless something worthwhile to listen to, and was enough to convince me that he is no danger to us. Her young companion, however, is not a threat."

“How can you be so sure? She could pose as big of a threat as the other clans."

"She's only a child! Barely even ten years of age, as I can tell."

"She can listen in and leave, telling the other clans."

Mesir raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “A child? She can barely talk to me without stuttering. And if it helps you sleep at night, I’ll put a sentry at her side so she doesn’t run off and tell the other clans, especially the Nyx, our secrets.” Looking at Raqios, he put his hand out, a neutral expression on his face.

Raqios stared at Mesir’s outstretched hand, before sighing, his ears dropping forward as he stood up and walked over to Mesir, grabbing and shaking his hand. “Stay true to your word then. I’m counting on you to keep them all safe while I help the food storages. But what about the young man?”

“I’ll send some of our sentries after him.”

“Good.” Releasing Mesir’s hand, Raqios turned and began to leave, rolling his shoulders. “I need to hunt for a few days more.. until that time, keep to your word. I’ll be searching for the young man as well... What did you say he looked like?” He turned to look at Mesir, a slightly confused expression on his face.

“And you too. He’s tall, with dark hair, wearing a white robe, along with a rapier and a red sash around his waist. He has a pack on as well, and often carries a book around with him.” Mesir nodded, checking his memory before speaking again. “Yes, that’s about it.”

“Thank you.” Raqios nodded, turning and gently shutting the door behind him as he set out to find and capture the young man.

-----

[interlude]

When Shay had heard word of that hybrid, Rymothyia of Entra clan, coming back, she was wrought with fear. That hybrid was dangerous to her and her clan; if that hybrid was left alone for too long, Shay’s clan would most likely end up in shambles, if not destroyed.

Shay didn’t have any actual proof of this, but the lack of proof that she wasn’t dangerous was more than enough to convince her.

After all, powerful and unknown entities that followed no logic always end up ruining any plans that were made by everyone else.

And to add onto that, those from the Entra clan have always hated them.

As a member of the Nyx clan, it was her duty to protect her clan, even if no one else was going to do something about it. She didn’t care what they thought; once they learned of her success, they would definitely praise her for doing the right thing.

And so, after completing her plans, she quietly snuck out of her village, armed for assassination.

Stealth, espionage, and manipulation was what the Nyx clan was best at, after all. In direct combat it would be impossible for her to win, especially against a hybrid with that much latent power..

However, Shay didn’t expect to run across someone so soon after leaving. There was no way that the person could have noticed her; the only reason she knew was from the movement of shadows in the distance. She couldn’t see them, but she could sense it.

There was a pretty good reason why their clan name was called ‘Nyx’ clan; for the word Nyx meant ‘shadow’.

But whoever it was, the person was far too close, so she began to make her way over only to find a young man, standing still, perhaps staring at something. He certainly didn’t look very dangerous, wearing some sort of white longcoat or something, having not much more than a walking stick. Perhaps he was a pilgrim. However, a human was a human, and he was too close to her village.

And humans were despicable creatures. If left alone, he would definitely reveal the location of her village, and then they would swarm over in numbers, burning everything to the ground simply because they were hybrids.

Neither of them made a sound for the longest while, neither making a move. There was no way he knew she was here, she convinced herself. He was just distracted by whatever it was he was staring at. And furthermore, his back was to him. She had all the advantages.

The only thing holding her back now was her own hesitation in killing the man.

It wasn’t that the man had done anything wrong to her, Shay tried to reason with herself, trying to justify the killing. He was just too unfortunate to have stumbled too close to her village. Otherwise she would have left him alone, Shay thought.

And so, silently drawing a throwing knife, she apologized in her head, and threw it as fast as she could.

At this range, it was impossible for her to miss. It was thrown fast enough to rival even the experts of her clan. Shay prided herself in her knife throwing abilities, and knew that she could not lose, not with all the advantages stacked against this man.

And then, to her surprise, it was then, at the moment the knife left her hand, the man spun around and snatched knife right out of the air. It was a movement so fast that it completely caught Shay off guard, frozen in shock where she crouched in hiding. And before she knew it the same knife she had thrown was quivering next to her head, having missed her by a mere margin when he had thrown the knife back in nearly the same instance he caught it.

Too fast! Shay protested in her mind, still trying to wrap her head around what just had happened. And when the man started approaching her, she recognized him as the one who had accompanied that hybrid, for the first time she realized what it truly meant to have fear.

-----

“Is that how people in this land greet each other? By throwing knives at them?” Jeremy asked sarcastically, eyeing the well hidden figure in the shadows. Whoever it was, they certainly excelled at stealth, but not good enough to hide from him. Jeremy couldn’t actually see the person, but sight was not the only sense he used to find the person’s location.

He was pretty sure he missed when he threw the knife back. No, he made the knife miss, so even if he had thrown it back directly at target it would have missed anyway, defying normal logic.

“Thy abilities and thy reactions are quite impressive.” Ykina pointed out, complimenting him. Jeremy, however, ignored her as he continued to address the hidden figure.

“Now, then. You there, in the shadows. Come out and reveal yourself before I start throwing sharp objects.”

A small girl crawled out of the foliage, trembling. Her appearance only made Jeremy raise an eyebrow, however.

“What reason did you have for attacking me, girl?” he asked softly.

The girl glared at him, but even though she was Jeremy could still see that she was afraid. “I-I was just defending my home!” She declared hotly. “I-It’s n-natural for me to attack a potential threat!”

“But attacking a potential threat means to draw its attention to you, and when that happens it will be quite likely that it will become a threat regardless of whether or not it was actually going to be a threat, isn’t that right?” Jeremy replied with a sad look on his face. “Violence should never be the first option to take in almost any situation.”

“Well said, my friend. As expected of our scholar who loves peace.” Ykina spoke up, lazily floating in circles around the two. Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Ykina, before turning to face the young girl again.

“But... but what should I do, then!?” The girl shouted back in frustration. “If I didn’t attack, how would I know that you wouldn’t waltz right into my home, taking everything away!?”

“To take...? What, have you been attacked bandits recently?”

“By dispicable humans like you.”

By then, Ykina had stopped lazily floating around, now looking quite distraught by the mood. “How troublesome,” she muttered under her breath. Both Jeremy and the girl ignored her.

“Hey now, not all humans are that bad. But I do have to agree, bandits that do nothing but take, taking food, lives, homes, and more away from others, especially from those who only want to live in peace, are despicable people indeed.” Jeremy replied, his face darkening. “But let me tell you this. It is fine to defend your home from those who clearly seek to take from it, but otherwise it is best to wait. Watch the target before taking action, learn their intentions before deciding to attack, or even start a conversation. Who knows, you might even find yourself making a new ally.”

“How naive. Do you really think that we’ve never attempted to talk to outsiders before? Attempting to do so will only gets us killed!”

“That’s why I said you can also watch the target before taking action. You’re quite talented with stealth; can’t you use that to gather information first to see if they really are a threat?”

“But— I-I...”

“And besides, haven’t you just had a normal conversation with me? If I were anyone else I might have killed you in self defense by now.“

“B-but that’s...” The girl’s face fell as she contemplated everything that had just been said. “Why are you even telling me all this?”

“Eh?” Jeremy said, taken aback. Why had he just given her some suggestions what she could have done? If it was the same him from years back, that would be understandable, but now was a different story. Perhaps he had spent too long in the company of Yuki and Adriyll, and had unknowingly changed in their presence, distracting him from his goal. “Why...? Perhaps, because when I saw you come out of hiding, I thought it was just too sad that someone as young as you already had to resort to violence as a first response.” He finally replied. It was too late now to wonder; he’ll just have to continue on as normal, and then when this conversation was over focus back on his goal again.

The girl stayed silent for a long moment, in which Ykina interjected. “Jeremy. There’s something—”

But even Ykina fell silent when he raised his hand to silence her, for which Jeremy was glad for. Right now, it was best to give the girl the time she needed to think.

It wasn’t long before the girl raised her head again, this time eyes shimmering with hope. “Can I trust you?”

“If you want. But that’s a decision you should decide for yourself, I think.” Jeremy instantly replied. “But I think it’s likely we won’t be able to see each other again.”

“Eh?” came the combined voices of the girl and Ykina. However, only the girl continued speaking. “I can’t believe that. I’m sure that there’s no way I wouldn’t want to meet someone like you again.”

Jeremy sighed; this was getting troublesome. “Yes, yes, believe what you want.” he replied, giving up. Arguing would only waste too much time. Besides, he probably wouldn’t be in the area for very long, so the chances of seeing each other again would be practically nonexistent anyway.

The girl drew herself up to her full height, and bowed respectfully. “My name is Shay, of the Nyx Clan, and I would like to thank you for your advice.” the girl, Shay as she called herself, said.

“Oh. Well, it was no problem, really.” Jeremy replied. “Anyway, I really must get going...”

“Wait! Please allow me to speak and ask for your advice for a little longer,” Shay pleaded. “If you really must go, at least let me know your name...”

Jeremy paused, wondering what he should do, especially considering that he could see Ykina beginning to lose her patience out of the corner of his eye. But then again, the goddess had been rather annoying... maybe he should annoy her back a little more, maybe give her a reason to leave him alone. And that was all it took for him to come to a decision.

“My name is Jeremy. But that’s not a name you should bother to remember, since you probably won’t see me again. But because of that, if you have any questions you better ask them fast. Depending on what you ask I can answer them before I leave.”

Shay’s face brightened, before she started her first question, choosing her words carefully. “Our clan had been watching for... certain activity around the country for years. Recently, there was news of a... member of the Entra clan returning here, accompanied by two humans; a young man and a girl. That man was you, wasn’t it?”

“And if I were?” Jeremy replied, not really answering her question. The way she was carefully asking the question was already enough for him to guess that she also wanted to hide something from him.

“I thought so. Tell me, what’s that... hybrid, what’s she like? Is she dangerous?”

So that was it. From what Jeremy knew, it seemed that Shay wanted to know if Yuki was dangerous to her clan. Even Ykina appeared to have caught on, drawing her own breath in with a sharp intake at the question. But regardless of what others thought, there was only one simple answer he could give to her.

And so, with a slight smile, he replied.

“Already listening to my advice about finding information about the target, eh? But in general, I think it’s best if you find out for yourself. Watch her, learn what she’s like, maybe even start a conversation after a while. Like I said, who knows, you might even find yourself making a new ally. Allies can come from the least expected of places, after all.”

And just like that, Shay grew quiet, contemplating what he had just said again.

“And now, I really must be going. May we never meet again.”

And before Shay knew it, the Jeremy had disappeared into the forest.

“Jeremy... “ she whispered, looking where he had disappeared. “You really are a good person. Despite your own wishes, I hope we really do get to meet again.”

But now, she had an Entra hybrid to take care of.

-----

“You must be quite lonely, having to push everyone away like that.” Ykina said, floating next to Jeremy as he continued walking. Although his face was passive, there were traces of sadness on it that Ykina was able to pick up.

At least she started talking normally again, though. But he wasn’t going to point that out, not when it might remind her and get her started speaking archaically again.

“It can’t be helped.” Jeremy replied simply. “But next time I’m in such a conversation, don’t speak up and interrupt. You’ll ruin the conversation as it is.”

“Hmph. You shouldn’t need to have bothered yourself with that one anyway. And besides, I didn’t reveal myself to anyone but you, so she couldn’t see or hear me. So next time, why don’t you let me speak?”

“You could have told me that earlier,” Jeremy replied, annoyed. “Now, didn’t you have something to say? You were trying to say something the entire time I was talking to Shay.”

“Ah! That’s right!” Ykina said, her eyes widening before she floated in front of Jeremy, blocking his way. “There’s something I need to tell you; my children seem to be in trouble at the moment—”

“Then why don’t you go do something about it?” He immediately cut in, hoping that she really would go do something about it.

“I can’t intervene in their affairs! And more importantly, what I’m getting at is this: what would you do if I told you that my children decided to send one of their elders to find you, as a suspect for their current problems?”

“What?” Jeremy asked, freezing where he was. “Why would they... Argh, this is annoying. That elder is wasting time that could be used for better things by looking for me...”

Ykina looked at him expectantly. And even though he wanted to annoy the goddess, that did not change his decision.

“I must speak with this elder and convince the elder otherwise. Ykina, lead the way.”

And at that, Ykina smiled.

[interlude out]

-----

A knock caused Kail'n to turn, looking at the door with a slight smile playing on his lips. "Who is it?" He asked, though his mind was already racing to finish his unanswered question.

"Raqios has left the village to hunt. I estimate another few days before he comes back."

"Good. Go and get the items, and then launch the attack. It is time." Kail'n watched, standing still as the man shuffled past him, and turned when he left, the door shutting. Kail’n paced around in the room, a malicious grin spreading as he took a step. Looking at the door that led into Astrid, he ignored it. It wasn’t important enough to wake the young man, anyways, and Kail’n continued to pace. He looked at the windows and shut the blinds, settling down in a chair before relaxing, his malicious smile still on his face.

As he let his thoughts roam, he stumbled over the thought of Yuki surviving the poison. Kail’n’s smile was wiped off his face in an instant, his hands folding neatly in his lap as he glared at the wall. No, he had made the posion too strong for many to even endure-- sending Rikojuu in a whirl has been the key game changer, since the girls barely had any experience in a herbal shop. Surely the village couldn’t operate with Rikojuu scrambling in every and each direction, and Yuki’s health was low enough for poison to wipe her out.

Kail’n smiled, his thoughts returning to how satisfying it would be to watch the clan elders fumble and shoot in the dark, hoping to find the criminal. They’d never suspect it was him, their fellow elder-- those words caused a sour taste in his mouth as he pulled a face. Ugh, those trusting fools would never move this village and country forward. Giving a sigh, he got up and stretched, moving to open the doors leading to his study before looking back at Astrid’s room silently.

It wasn’t like that idiot was needed today. Kail’n stared at the door, debating whether or not to wake him up before turning to his study. He could manage, and besides, better less people to see and less people to remove.

The less of a mess he had to clean up, the better.

------

Adriyll walked into the living room, cringing at the bright light that shone through the windows. "How long did I sleep...?" Adriyll rubbed her sleeve against her eyes, the fabric soothing her. The girls couldn’t find a shirt that had fit Adriyll when they were washing her clothes, but instead gave Adriyll one of their mother’s night shirts. Umren had a funny look on her face, but Adriyll decided not to ask. The thought of asking seemed to be rude at the time.

Adriyll’s voice caught her attention, and Umren looked up to give her a smile. "Good morning Adriyll, or should I say good afternoon?" Umren joked lightly, her smile growing. In front of her was an array of books, all open and about subjects Adriyll had never even heard of. Adriyll eyed it, attempting to understand them before shrugging it off, moving to sit next to Umren at the table. Umren turned back to her books, reading them intently before speaking again. “You did fall asleep at a late time last night, and since its been a rough week, Styn and I decided we’d let you sleep in.” Umren’s tail brushed the chair as she read, humming happily.

“I see.” Adriyll muttered, a phrase she had picked up from Jeremy and Yuki, before giving a short sigh. “Hey, hey.”

“What is it?” Styn piped up, popping up from behind the table, surprising her. Adriyll jumped, and put a hand to her chest, breathing deeply. “Whoops, I didn’t realize that you didn’t see me.” Styn gave a hearty laugh, a smile tugging on the sides of Umren’s lips as she listened. In front of Styn were sketches of people, backgrounds and a few small crude paintings of a forest. But Adriyll wasn’t sure, since it also looked like a swamp as well.

“Its fine. What’s it like, having a sister?” Adriyll asked, looking at both the girls intently. “You two seem rather close.”

The sisters glanced at each other, not knowing what to say. Finally, Umren spoke up. “Well, I never really thought about it. Its just... well, not very exciting at times, I can tell you that.” Giving a small sigh, Umren glanced at Styn, who was sitting at the table and sifting through the sketches. “We fight sometimes, comfort one another, and occasionally rip the house in two trying to kill one another.” Seeing the look on Adriyll’s face, however, Umren only laughed. “No. not really killing each other. That’s a phrase we use when we’re angry with another.”

Styn looked over and gave Adriyll a confused look. “While this is a great subject and all, I’m curious; why ask about this?”

“Aah, well... I don’t have a family. Yuki and Jeremy were my only family...”

“Eh? When did our sister become your family?"

Dropping her stutter and otherwise childish qualities in her voice, Adriyll sighed and pursed her lips, attempting to find the best words to describe what she felt. "Well.. I.. I was discarded at a village by my parents, and no one really cared. I was "getting underfoot" from the adults, and then your sister came along." Adriyll tapped her lips, looking off to the side slightly before resuming. "I joined, and Yuki cared for me. Jeremy had his own way, but nonetheless, I felt like I had a family bond with them."

“What, that human that already left? He didn’t even bother to say goodbye, and I’m right to assume he wasn’t very nice beforehand, right? What kind of person does that? Family means never being left behind or simply dropped off, and him... he left you.”

“Yes, but that’s just his way of doing things. Once you get to know him, he’s actually a really nice person. He’s a bit colder than normal people, but I’m okay with that.”

“How? From what I hear, he’s cold and hasn’t really cared, so why do you care about him so much? He probably doesn’t care that much about you...” Styn’s eyes flashed with concern, if not sadness, as she looked at Adriyll.

“You might see him that way, but I seen him be just as protective as Yuki. Though he doesn’t fight like Yuki, he helped save me from men who would kill me in a blink of an eye. He put a patch on them and stalled while Yuki gathered her strength, and when I was just about to fall, he caught me. He’s kind, under all that cold exterior...I just know it. And besides, you should actually get to know him first before judging him!”

“Yeah, but--”

Umren opened her mouth before a scream caught her attention, causing her to run to the door, leaving the pair at the table. "What was that?! Auntie?!" Umren cried out, but she didn't move to find Rikojuu, instead only scanning the area in a frantic manner. Turning back, she pointed up to Yuki's room while looking at the pair. "Upstairs! Now! Don't come out until I say so!" The pair scurried upstairs while Umren rushed to grab the sword that was in their parents room, apologizing silently as she rushed back to the door.

Silence fell over the village, and Umren could hear the blood rushing through her veins as she watched the front of the home, her eyes wide with fear and her hand clutching the sword's hilt as tight as she could, her knuckles white. Her breath came out in short, uneven lengths, her expression resembling a deer when caught in a dangerous situation. Umren took a hesitant step out of the threshold, glancing the area over and attempting to gain more vision before she gasped, taking a few steps back.

A man had dropped from a nearby tree, his eyes and nose the only distinctive feature on his face, launching himself at her with knives unsheathed. Umren fumbled with the sword, barely drawing out the sword in time to get knocked back from the man's blow. Getting up as quick as she could, Umren fully unsheathed the sword and put the sword in a defensive position, using the sheath in a defensive position in the other hand. The man only scoffed, rushing at her again and sending a flurry of stabs and slashes her way, all hitting their intended places. Umren felt the blades cutting into her shoulders, arms, and near her collarbone, but soon realized that the shallow yet long cuts would be the end of her.

Still, she had to let the others know.

Letting out the loudest scream she had ever produced, Umren bolted for the door, stopping her scream when her lungs could no longer support her voice. Umren ran faster than before, reaching for the door and feeling her fingertips barely brush the door knob, a sense of bliss passing through her as she began to wrap her fingers around it---

An arm wrapped around her stomach and side, pulling her back at the very last second. Umren beat and kicked at it, and deciding to drop the sheath to grasp the hilt of the sword, thrusting it back at the attacker. With each time she thrust it back, the attacker strengthened his grip on her, easily dodging her thrusts. Umren let out one last scream before the man moved his arm and slammed it into her ribs, knocking the wind out of her. Umren coughed, seeing stars as she struggled to get air into her lungs. But before she fell, she noticed that the attacker was also going down with her.

-----

Adriyll was watching from the room, peeking out from under the blinds in one of the rooms. She had enough time to get Styn to rummage around for a bow and arrows, and luckily she had made it in time. Eyeing the arrow now lodged into the attacker's shoulder, Adriyll notched another and released it, the arrow lodging itself easily into the right side of his ribs, causing Umren to slip from his grip. Adriyll notched another and ducked behind the blinds, hoping no one saw her.

From under the bed, all Styn could see was Adriyll's feet and the sound of an arrow being notched was something that caught her off-guard. Since when did Adriyll learn archery? She was only eight, and yet she was hitting her targets without a single hiccup? Styn longed to see what was going on, but staying true to her word, she waited until Umren gave her the okay to come out again. Crawling to the other side of the bed, Styn peeked out and watched the door for Adriyll, almost giving a sigh in relief when there was no one at the door.

Styn was lucky that their father was -- as their mother had put it -- a paranoid man who kept an arsenal of weapons around the house. The bow and quivers were a lucky find, considering their father had never bothered to learn archery or even dabble with it, and she had never seen her father get a bow. Then again, she may have been too young... Styn snapped to reality, looking around as much as she could, keeping as quiet before she heard the sound of a door slamming accompanied with the sound of hurried feet. Pulling Adriyll under the bed, Styn pushed her hand over Adriyll’s mouth fearfully, their breathing quiet.

“Styn? Adriyll?” Umren asked quietly before looking under the bed.

“Night!” Styn shouted, calling out Umren’s nickname with a note of relief laced into her voice. “Night, are you alright?” A small gasp escaped her as she saw the many cuts on Umren’s shoulders, arms and torso. “You’re bleeding!”

Umren smiled as Styn crawled out from under the bed frantically, giving her head a slow yet small ruffle. “Yes.. yes, just shaken up.. Nothing that I can’t handle.” A teakettle hiss passed through Umren’s teeth, her expression colored by pain. She dropped the sword onto the floor, giving Styn a stiff hug while hissing softly.

Adriyll inched out from under the bed, still clutching the bow as she moved to hug Umren before shying away, noticing her expression. “Styn,” Adriyll began before the sound of the door slowly coming undone with well placed hits. Immediately running to the other side and grabbing the quiver of arrows, she took on Yuki’s role and pointed to the bed. “Stay there. You won’t be harmed while I’m here.”

“Adriyll--” Umren started before a loud pound at the door cut her off.

“There’s no time. Now!”

The girls scurried under, and Styn began to rip her clothes to create makeshift bandages. “These should work for the time being...”

“Shh!” Adriyll closed the door until only a sliver was left, notching an arrow and looking through the sliver silently. The pounding stopped for a long minute, their hearts all racing, but Adriyll knew that if the assassins really wanted to, they could easily kick down the door, and then from there it would only be a matter of time before they were captured.

But Adriyll wouldn’t go down without letting the girls have their chance to call for help.

Drawing the arrow back, she quietly listened, patient with the enemies outside. If it was worth anything, from what she had learned from watching Jeremy and Yuki was that rushing in was not the way to finish a situation. Sometimes it is better to wait, and see before attacking. Moving to a position with a clearer view of the front door, Adriyll held her breath as she waited for the attackers to enter.

Silence hung itself over the home before the door finally gave way, the loud crash of the front door slamming onto the ground, causing Adriyll flinch in surprise, unintentionally releasing her first arrow. Muttering a curse she had picked up from Yuki, Adriyll watched with growing horror as the arrow missed its target, snuggly embedding itself into the wall.

The assassin looked up instantly in reaction to the missed shot. Seeing Adriyll the assassin quickly ran up the steps, and Adriyll backed away, quickly reloading her bow and raising it to aim at the assassin. Adriyll, who focused on the opponent’s face, released it with no hesitation. Umren, who still had her sword, drew it closer to her before slowly scooting out from under the bed, leaving Styn under the cot. Adriyll watched the assassin fall to the floor, giving a small sigh of relief before letting out a scream as another assassin leaped towards her, rolling to the side and narrowly dodging a blade coating in some odd substance.

The assassin didn’t miss a beat, however, and leaped again at Adriyll before she could get up, successfully managing to hold her down. Raising his arm, he prepared to bring down, but was interrupted when Adriyll managed to stab him with one of her arrows right before he was tackled by one of Yuki’s sisters. Adriyll scrambled to get back up, but before she knew it they were swarmed by even more assassins.

It was a hopeless fight from the beginning, Adriyll realized. Still, she attempted to fight, but it wasn’t long before a quick blow to her neck knocked her unconscious. The last thing she saw before she sunk into the darkness were Yuki’s sisters being restrained.

Ah... Is this... really the end?