20 Claire Von Angea: Attacked

Events do not always go as one may plan. That is a universal truth bidding everyone in this cruel world's existence. My blood thirsty attacker was no exception. His strides were purposeful in each step as he desired to do nothing, but rid the world of my presence. I could see it in his eyes. The darkness and hatred that he felt towards me in that moment. He had no greater desire than to plunge his blade into me just as he did Sylvia.

"The death of the Angea is here.", he proclaims to me.

While the distance between us became shorter by the step it was not before he pointed the deadly weapon towards my person as well. With a flick of his wrist the man intended to make true on his proclamation. Arcing through the air the tip of the blade raced towards my body hoping to meet the futile resistance of my flesh.

Yet, it found nothing, but air. The groans of struggle ensued as the male seemingly found himself bound by the wrist once more. Blocked by the shadows of turmoil, a voice called to me once,

"Lad-"

A thud transpired as the man tossed whatever being that bound him over his shoulder. Though before he could react once again, the individual sprung to their feet and pressed their attack. Each collision of their bodies doused me with sprinkles of a foreign liquid like a canvas bestowed with a vibrant paint. The sounds of their struggle continued, but due to the rise of the smoke, I was no longer much of a witness to the altercation. The grating squelches of flesh being torn and thudding grunts pierced through the heavy smoke.

My heart couldn't take it, beating my chest nearly into submission. Yet, even the crescendo of my heart rate was dwarfed in sound to the incoming footsteps towards my location. I sought to move, but my body still remained motionless, until the universal truth once more reared its head. Without my permission my body was suddenly forced into motion.

Pulled to my feet by the approaching figure, I found myself snatched by my wrist. Their grip held tight, desperately holding on as if they were holding onto life itself. I could feel my body being forced against its will to remain stagnant as I was guided further on the path chosen for me. I did what was forced upon me.

I ran.

With each stride I took, the more uneven the ground felt and the more distant the clash of metal became. Though my eyes had closed themselves and traversing blindly through the darkness was a difficult task. It was a mistake in which regrets are formed.

"Fireball!"

My ears were soon ringing as an eruption transpired nearby taking my futile attempts of fleeing airborne. I could feel myself swimming through the air before crashing roughly across the roots of the forest floor. My body went slump, once again serving itself on a platter to my attacker and previous pursuer.

Instinctively tears traced down my cheeks, sticking the dirt that had collected itself from my crash. Thus, I opened them desperately attempting to locate the figure within the smoke and debris.

"I-I said the death of the Angea is here! I will not allow you to escape tonight, Claire Von Angea. We will never allow you to escape!"

The words of hatred seemingly pierced my ringing ears as clear as the speaker had intended. It was pointless to attempt to flee. My fate was sealed. Their tenacity overwhelmed my mediocrity.

"Yo-You mu-muust never give up, La-Lady Claire."

Words as pure as those forced aside the shackles on my body. My eyes traced across the vacant ground to see one figure. A being that stood by my side even in the face of death. Yet, they could barely stand on their feet, the furry tail of the individual was as stained with blood as the rest of her clothes.

"Sy-Sylvia?!"

My words finally escaped my throat and made themselves known to the outside world. My tears poured from their source, drowning the dirt on my checks in their pathway. Standing before me, valiantly defending me once more was my attendant Sylvia. The one that saved me, bled for me and even when I didn't, believed in me.

"Un-til your time..", the woman coughed profusely, struggling to formulate even the basic of sentences, "A-stana needs you. Yo-Your strength. F-Find…"

"God of nature, I beseech thee to conjure a flame to incinerate my target; Fireball!"

The eruption of the cruel flames blasted the front of my attendant, causing her to scream in intense pain as the fireball burned into her flesh. Yet, Sylvia remained defiant. All she had to do was dodge it, I was its target. The fool.

"Save yourself, Sylvia! Please save yourself!", I begged her.

Instead of adhering to my begs and pleads, Sylvia rushed in against the odds upon hearing our attacker begin his incantaction once again. She was not going to listen to me. Fight or die, kill or be killed.

'You can do it! Strength is there for those that want it! Reach for it and achieve your desire, Lady Claire!'

Strength. I need greater strength, not for myself, but for Sylvia as well. I dug my fingers into the dirt below and fought against the pain to pull myself to my feet. This task alone seemed insurmountable, but paled in comparison to what my beloved attendant was doing for me. She believed in me. She desires great things for me, and she is willing to fight for my life at the expense of her own.

"On your feet, Claire.", I urged myself.

The soles of my shoes dug into the dirt as I found willed myself onto my feet. Still my knees locked as if they were out of operation, preventing me from taking off. Sylvia. I did not want to leave her. To abandon my friend in her time of need.

"Ru-Run!", she cried to me.

Her struggle continued as the attacker soon overpowered the weakened demi-human women and forced her against a tree. His hand raised as he repeatedly struck her against the tree with his fist. Each blow further gouges the energy from her body. Even still, Sylvia struggled, biting, clawing and kicking to break his hold until she did.

A guttural, primal scream erupted from the woman as she tore into his eyes with her growing claws from her hands. Her once beautiful and majestic figure now mangled, turning her into a creature that I had never seen before.

"You damn- freak! Gla-AHAGla!", the attacker growled as his eye was slashed, and mauled.

Despite his aggressive words, Sylvia managed to disarm him from the dagger that he once possessed and attempted to wield. She tore into his body more akin to a wild beast, ferociously scratching into him, shedding more of his blood as she lost her own. It was not enough to hold back her assault. Now it was her that pinned him to a tree, scratching at his body akin to a corner animal. That was until she stopped.

"Gah-Damn freak- I always got a back up!", the attacker growled through his pain.

The male kicked back Sylvia's frame as the woman staggered back on her feet. Her breathing became more raspy. The male quickly approached, and soon that distinctively crunch of flesh returned as the man repeatedly penetrated my defender with another dagger.

The thud of her body hitting the ground was sickly, but my body knew new waves of terror from what I've seen next. The now grotesque man still pressed forward to continue to initial objective. His face was carved with many of Sylvia's claw marks, leaving his eye seemingly drooping from its socket.

His own breathing was now thick as the smoke produced from his magical attacks, but his hatred was thicker than that. He limped over towards me, dagger in hand and I stood there motionless.

"Now- Your tu-urn."

As he crossed over the body of his fallen foe, something neither of us seemed to expect occurred. His boot was grabbed, and held by Sylvia once more. The sheer terror forced out of the male's mouth was spine chilling. The unbridled tenacity of Sylvia was on full display as she clawed desperately to hold him back. Bloody and battered the intensity of my attendant was unnatural.

"Why won't you die?!", the attacker barked.

The sounds of flesh and metal being grated bounced around the forest, clogging my ears just as the smoke clogged my nose. The feral sounds of anguish erupted, coating the area with its embrace. It was the sound that yanked me into action. I knew that I had to leave. For the first time, I had to run away. My cowardice abandoned Sylvia.

'Sylvia- Please forgive me."