"Anything yet, Neville?"
Chrissy stood with arms crossed watching Neville's descent. A couple of beads from her festival wear were missing, having tripped in the mud at the edge of town. She chose a rock relatively free from dirt and sat down, waiting for his reply.
Neville landed on a nearby branch and shook his head. This had been the third time Chrissy asked in the last half hour. She dislodged one of her hooks from her belt and began to pick at the engravings.
"Come out guys," she called, "He isn't here either."
Nathaniel and Travlack appeared from behind a fallen tree. From his hand, Nathaniel produced a small flame, illuminating his face. Travlack sheathed his sword and sat upon the log. He pointed the sheath into the ground, allowing him to lean forward without falling over.
"I wonder how Jay, Hoga, and Fitz are doing," he sighed.
"Probably just the same," Chrissy responded, "If I were Lanon, I wouldn't wanna meet me either."
Her joke was not met with any laughter but her own. Chrissy cleared her throat and continued looking at the map through the dim rays of the moonlight. Nathaniel appeared on her right side and tilted his flaming fingers forward. She thanked him with a quick look over her shoulder.
"You guys think the DLF will look into this when we get back?" Chrissy asked, "Travlack, is this even worth their time?"
Travlack responded from his seat upon the log.
"No. Other problems. Bigger problems."
"Bigger?," Nathaniel questioned, "A rabid Therian? That surely takes priority. Especially one that tracked us to a populated area."
"Not tracked. We brought."
Chrissy stuffed the map into her pocket and whipped around to address Travlack.
"We didn't bring that thing!"
"DLF won't care."
Chrissy and Nathaniel shared a sigh.
"Nice to know that if Lanon doesn't bleed us out, Coordinator Cooper will," she said, "Probably would be less painful if we let Lanon get to us first."
Section by section, they kept covering the forest. Pausing at each rustle in the bushes, creaking of the trees, or howls of the wind. Whenever a sound was too peculiar to identify, Chrissy would send Neville around for a lap to confirm.
"We have to find him tonight," said Nathaniel, "We're lucky he hurt who he did."
Chrissy froze in her steps. With a raised eyebrow, she slowly turned her head at Nathaniel.
"Funny. Bleeding out didn't feel lucky to me. How do you figure that?"
"Simple."
Nathaniel took off his glasses and began to clean them.
"He hurt Hoga, someone that was sent after him anyway. That's just a mission hazard. Nothing to do with us. He hurt you, an escort, which is in your line of duty protecting Ava. Which, despite your previous blunders?"
"What blunders–?"
Travlack and Nathaniel stared at her. Scenes of her escapades at the cave and leading them through reserve land played in her head. She coughed and looked away. After pressing his glasses back onto his face, Nathaniel continued.
"Despite those, it kept Ava safe. Everyone Lanon hurt got hurt in the line of duty."
"True," added Travlack.
"So, as long as Ava or a civilian doesn't get hurt, Cooper won't hang us?"
"I'm sure he'll consider it after the report of this survey reaches his desk, yes," Nathaniel immediately responded, "But as long as Ava remained relatively safe the entire time, we'll just be fired and discredited."
"Lovely."
Ava's scream pierced through the trees, followed by the echo of an impact. Without a second thought, all three started sprinting in the direction of the disturbance.
"Hopefully the rope isn't itchy!" Chrissy said between strides, "NEVILLE! ROUSA!"
At Chrissy's command he shot off into the darkness ahead of them. Ava's screaming kept appearing in intervals between heavy echoes of rumbling trees. Leading the pack, she vaulted over ditches and fallen trees with learned precision. Travlack followed close behind, using momentum to push himself past the thicket. Nathaniel lagged behind both of them, struggling to emulate their movements in the dark of the forest.
"Chrissy!" Travlack called, "Go ahead!"
She turned her heel and skidded to a stop, confused.
"Losing Nathaniel. I'll follow. Go ahead, now!"
Chrissy's heartbeat made itself known. Her breath became sharp and staggered. Everything in her wanted to move but she could not bear to turn around.
"But what about–?!"
"We won't make it in time!" shouted Nathaniel, "GO!"
"NOW!" Travlack commanded.
She grit her teeth. Without another word, she sprinted harder than before. Through the dark was a ranger running with all of the might in her body, praying that she could make it on time. Ava's oncoming screams were interrupted by dense crashes of foliage. She followed the trail of wreckage, now unblinking, at a speed she forgot she could run.
For a moment her pace faltered.
"No…! I wont…! Not again!"
The color drained from the maroon spots on her neck. The next step she took propelled her further than her last. Chrissy's body burned with a surge of energy that heightened her senses to the noises of the forest.
"I have to...I have to!"
Flashes of memory played in her head. She quickly refocused on the path ahead to hear Ava's cry.
"HELP! SOMEBODY–!"
Another crash.
Ava's silhouette flashed between the gaps of the trees, maneuvering the uneven forest floor with an athleticism unexpected.
A violent hum of feathers ramped in volume.
Faster than Chrissy could track, a blur of verdant feathers collided with a row of trees just shy of where Ava was. Lanon threw the branches from him and cried out into the night, flailing blood and feathers with every throe of pain.
Chrissy called to Ava, who failed to hear her over her own screaming. Lanon arose from the wreckage and paced after her. His body casted off bits of viscera and feathers on the ground with each step.
Then came the hum of feathers.
Step one.
Chrissy's heel turned, adjusting her angle. Ava scrambled between the foliage, clamoring for assistance, praying for a savior.
Two.
"Come on…!"
Three.
Four.
She ignited with RIG. Her lungs, as if on fire, burned her entire system alive. Lanon now launched himself through the air, perfectly aligned with Ava's path.
Five.
"Not like this…! I won't let it happen again!"
Six.
Ava finally noticed her. The once pristine festival attire was dirtied by scrapes of blood and patches of mud. If she said something, Chrissy could not hear.
Seven.
The mass of feathers and blood hurled himself at them. His screech deafened Ava's own.
Eight.
Chrissy's vision went blurry.
Ava was within arms reach.
Of both Lanon and herself.
"DAMIEN–!"
Chrissy dove.
Her shoulder made contact with Ava's hip, buckling her out of the way of the space Lanon took not a breath later. He splattered into a patch of dead trees, their limbs now soaked in his blood. The sharp branch ends impaled him in several places, holding him in place as Chrissy crawled over to Ava.
"CHRISSY! LANON! HE'S–"
Chrissy dragged Ava to her feet. Lanon began tearing himself free, ripping chunks of himself away in a raged determination. Now a small distance away, Chrissy pushed Ava against a tree and cupped her hand against her mouth.
"Ava!"
Ava clutched Chrissy's forearm. Muffled sounds of panic failed to subside as Lanon tore a branch from his arm.
"Breathe! Through your nose!"
Chrissy's bloodshot eyes stared into Ava's trembling pupils. A staggered exhale breezed on Chrissy's fingers as another tree broke in half. Chrissy removed her hand, slowly, and placed her index finger on Ava's lips. Peering from behind their tree, she saw Lanon's torso tangled in the branches of his crash.
Neville came down and landed on the ground next to Chrissy, waiting for an order. Once she was certain Lanon was stuck, she whispered to Neville the command to lead.
"Tiza."
Neville flew to a nearby branch. Chrissy led Ava to his position before he went flying off again. Little by little, they made silent progress away from Lanon until the sounds of his struggle faded. She stifled the encroaching coughs of fatigue in an effort to remain quiet. Halfway through another one of Neville's checkpoints, she sank to a knee–nearly dragging Ava to the ground with her. Neville landed in front of her and chittered.
"I can't…," she trailed off, "Just give me a second…"
Ava sank against a nearby tree and attempted to catch her breath. After a minute, she managed to thank Chrissy between strained breaths. Chrissy waved it off. She unsheathed her hooks, using them to pry her off her knees, and stood as ready as she could manage. Her head, craned to the sky in exhaustion, rang with a terrible intensity.
"Good news or bad news?" sputtered Chrissy.
Ava did not respond. She only looked up, confused and desperate, by her question.
"Alright. Bad news. You picked a bad time to be athletic."
Chrissy gestured to the faded maroon sacs on her neck. She hacked and spat on the ground before coughing violently.
"The good news?" Ava whimpered.
"You were better bait than I was?" Chrissy shrugged, "We're still alive?"
Ava closed her eyes, hanging her head in exasperation. Lanon's howl pierced the air of the forest, causing both of them to flinch. Chrissy looked to Neville, shaking in place on the ground. Their pursuer would soon be upon them if they idled any longer. However, Chrissy's body made it clear she lacked the strength to protect Ava and fight Lanon simultaneously.
A decision was made.
"Neville, take Ava and find the others."
He shook his head.
"Rousa, Neville! I'll be fine! I prom–"
She bit her tongue. Neville's opaque eyes reflected her uncertain expression back at her. After
"I promise."
Neville glanced at his master as he crawled over to Ava, nudging her to stand. Chrissy offered the curved end of her hook as leverage to stand. Pulling her to her feet, Neville began to fly slowly away from Chrissy. He took one more look back before disappearing with Ava into the forest.
"Ficia yae sae nae," she muttered.
She flexed her power as much as she could, hoping Lanon would make himself known. Her knuckles turned white from the dead grip she held on her hooks. From the shadows emerged Lanon, stumbling between the trees. Chrissy grimaced at the sight of how his own skin melted from his body, reforming only seconds later.
He stood a distance away. Sizing her up from a puddle of his own blood. Chrissy flashed her hooks in front of her.
Then sheathed them, yet her grasp remained on the handles.
"Lanon," she sighed, "...what's happened to you…?"
Nothing but shaky breaths responded. He twitched sporadically between the sluggish movement. The wounds his previous impalement had all but closed up.
Lanon took a couple of dedicated steps forward.
Chrissy remained where she was.
He ceased his march, now aware of her posturing. Clumps of blood splattered onto the ground from the brutal hacking of his throat. For a moment, she could see the pupils in his eyes. He gurgled a single word.
"...Ch-Chrissy…,"
He took another step forward.
"Come on, Lanon," she whispered, "Let me end this. I swear it'll be painless."
His jaw dislodged. Lanon's eyes became opaque as his body fell limp, now swaying in the wind. The next words he spoke were frighteningly clear.
"...Chrissy…food."
He arched into a predatory stance. Chrissy carefully drew her hooks as she took a weary breath.
"You're going to be so mad, Damien," she muttered, "I still can't keep my promises."
Chrissy took her stance. Once more, she forced her body into RIG. The familiar sound of pulsating feathers deafened her own thoughts. Studying where his weight shifted, Chrissy braced for a possible charge. As long as she held Lanon within her line of sight, she was convinced she could hold on long enough.
The dirt under Lanon exploded as he charged straight for Chrissy. Despite being in RIG, the only movement she was fast enough to make was forming a guard. He crashed against the curves of her hooks sending them both spiraling through the air. Chrissy had no time to think about where they would end up, or how much time until a tree would halt their path. With Lanon trapped at the end of her hooks, she flipped Lanon over in time to collide against a rock formation–prying herself free at the last second.
The awful sounds of broken ribs sent a shudder down her spine. He bounced off the side and clawed his fingers into the dirt, readying another charge. Chrissy raised her hooks, ready to imitate her early success.
However, Lanon did not give her the chance.
His first bound landed at her side. Though her eyes followed him, her body did not react in time. His gory hand lunged for her ribcage, intent on exposing its contents. Just barely Chrissy was able to twist her torso from harm's way, his finger drawing a straight line across her body.
Now was not the time to worry about blood. Lanon skidded across the ground and set up another attack. For a moment, her vision blurred. Too much energy had been used already. But if she faltered now, she would not live to complain about it. Before Lanon could capitalize she willed herself to sustain it, using her fist to wipe a stream of blood that just appeared.
Lanon repeated his earlier tactic. One movement to disorient, the second to attack. This time, Chrissy anticipated it. On his assault she set up a hook trap that pinned Lanon to the ground. She put a foot on him, using the force to pry her hooks from his flesh with a horrendous wound. Before she could bring them down again, Lanon jettisoned himself across the ground. He tumbled for a moment before sticking his hands into the dirt to slow his momentum. He took off once more.
One.
Two!
Another successful reversal. Chrissy had barely a moment before he moved again.
One.
Two!
Three?
Lanon went vertical. Now he bounded between the treetops searching for an angle on Chrissy. The air above her streaked with his blood, causing it to rain atop of her.
Above.
Beside.
Around.
Behind.
She was lost in a haze of feathers and blood. Her eyes worked as fast as they could to keep track of him, knowing one mistake was all it took. Her RIG faltered for just a moment–
A nasty cut appeared along her left arm. Lanon skid across the ground and continued his mad dash through the air.
She forced herself to retain ignition, her heart pounding in her ears. Screaming–begging–her not to continue.
The longer he moved, the more impossible it became to retain RIG. Every flicker of failure to maintain was met with a new cut on her body. Despite how tired Lanon must be, he MUST be, she now realized his unnatural will would push his body further than hers.
Resonance pooled in her legs. She made a lunge for a branch, but Lanon already moved. Her arm stretched, forcing her to feel every cut Lanon had given her. The predatory hum of feathers nearly deafened her as her hook caught her target. Chrissy whipped around the tree whereas Lanon went crashing through the treetops. Safe in the embrace of the tree, Chrissy dropped her RIG.
"Take your time, Nathaniel," she coughed, "I can do this all night. It's not like he's trying to kill me or anyth–"
A rush of wind flew by her face and stuck into a tree. She slowly turned to see a stake impaled through a trunk.
"Fecabre!"
She leapt for another tree. Moments later, another branch shattered where she had perched. Before she could move on to the next, one last toss took out where she stood. In desperation, she raised a hook above her head hoping to snag on to something, anything, that would aid in a safe descent.
She nabbed a branch in the middle of her freefall. However, she lacked the strength to hold on. Her fingers slipped from the weathered handle, only briefly stalling her fall. The ground met her, shoulder first, with a cold indifference. Thus ended any further contribution with her right arm. With her remaining left, she used the hook to roll flat on her back and breathe.
Everything.
Everything hurt so much.
The fall had taken whatever power she had left. She now lay on full display in the light of the moon defenseless.
"...fecabre…"
No amount of denial was going to convince her otherwise. Distant footsteps grew nearer. Breathing, more strained than her own, became more clear. Lanon's decaying shadow loomed over, his body obstructing the pale moon.
"...no…more…"
Lanon's decaying hand cupped Chrissy's neck. Streams of blood ran down her chest, marking her with a crimson pattern. She summoned all the strength in her left arm in an attempt to raise her hook, but a tightened grip made her falter. It hit the ground without a sound. He took his other hand and pressed a nail into the scar on her stomach, piercing the skin with ease.
"...Chrissy…"
Another finger.
Chrissy writhed in pain, choking on her own blood. She swung her leg and kicked Lanon in the jaw. He gave no reaction.
A third finger entered her torso.
Finally, a drowned cry for help pried itself from her mouth. Another kick caused the jaw to dislocate. She watched in agonizing horror as the muscles around his mouth reformed, and pulled it back into place. His scratchy voice came through the sounds of inefficient regeneration.
"Taesuli…cinepi…"
Footsteps.
Impact.
Chrissy had no idea how she hit the ground, but she recognized its cold embrace. A figure, armed no doubt, swayed back and forth. The scrape of a sword, the crash of a shield, and the sway of large ears were the only things she caught.
Wings.
A scramble across the ground.
The eyes of an oversized fruit back reflected her face.
Bloodshot.
Tired.
More footsteps.
A hand cradled her head as the glare of glasses reflected a hand alight with flame. Though his lips moved, she could not make out the words this man was saying. The moment he pressed his palm to her stomach all of the noise in the world flooded back.
"Hold still!" commanded Nathaniel, fighting her squirms, "I need to cauterize it!"
A roar from Lanon. Grunts of effort from Travlack. Neville's frantic calls as he pawed at Chrissy's dislocated arm. Her eyes went wide from the surge of pain. When Nathaniel removed his hand she immediately covered it with her own.
"Ava! Drag Chrissy out of here, now! Travlack and I will take it from here!"
A pair of arms heaved from under her shoulders. Neville clamped onto her leg and buried his face into it. She removed her hand from her stomach and attempted to move her fingers.
"...Nathaniel…!"
She barely managed to utter his name. He turned around but for a moment to see a trembling thumb's up.
And a confident smirk.
Travlack skidded back with his sword dug into the ground, halting his momentum.
"NATHANIEL!" he called, "LANON! NOW!"
"Send Neville for the others! We'll hold him here!"
Nathaniel's hands ignited in white-hot flame. As Ava pulled, she spoke between intervals of effort.
"Good news…or bad news…Chrissy?"
She spat blood in response.
"Bad news then! You picked-goodness-a bad time to be…heroic!"
Chrissy's hollow chuckle caused her to briefly choke.
"Good news…," trailed Ava, "Uh…"
"Alive."
Chrissy hacked another mouthful of blood. Ava could not help but smile in relief.
"Yeah. Alive."