7 [Atalanta]
With Icarus' resolve affirmed and his body ready, he quickly thought up a plan.
He could see them slowly begin 'enjoying' her, causing a ping of guilt to rise up his chest due to his own hesitation.
They were already about to take her chastity. The centaur had already used some sort of magic to revert to a more human form, only keeping two horse legs and....another horse part.
Icarus could see Atlanta panicking and had no time to plan, since he wasted it. He couldn't just throw an explosive at them and kill Atalanta as well, and Icarus didn't have the accuracy to use a bow properly yet.
So, he gritted my teeth and improvised.
Leaning his hand into his sleeve he grabbing one of the 3 remaining makeshift explosive fireworks.
Icarus threw them upwards with all his strength, not towards them, but rather towards the camp made of wood, and more importantly, covered with leaves.
BOoM!
The small pouch erupted with the force of a small grenade as the makeshift camp exploded. The small fire previously residing inside the camp ignited the now falling leaves and wood along with the explosion, basking the clearing in a blanket of smoke and ash.
"""!!!""" The centaurs yelped in shock, swiftly jumping to their feet.
They barely had time to react as two magic dolls flung their bodies towards the two centaurs by Atalanta's side in a mad suicidal dash.
The two dolls leap right towards the two centaur's hinds tackling them away from Atalanta before erupting with enough force to tear down a wall.
BOOM!
BOOM!
"AHHHGHHHhh...hh.....!" They screeched in unadulterated pain.
Soon, the two explosions died down, and the two centaurs along with it. Their now previous insides had blanketing the final remaining centaur in a wave of blood.
The dolls had suicide bombed them right from behind under the cover of smoke using Icarus' last two explosive pouches.
Fortunately, the smoke cover lasted just long enough for Icarus to charge in from the bushes with the force of a ram.
Icarus muttered a quick, "Τροποποίηση," as the edge of his blade sharpened further with his sword held out in front of him. Icarus' heart thumped in his chest as his brain entered a state of absolute focus.
The Centaur's eyes widened in fear just in time to see Icarus thrust Chysia right through his chest.
His unconfined shock barely had the time to snap out after Icarus strike, "Wha—!"
SHINK!
Before Icarus twisted his hands holding onto the blade, shredding the previously immensely confused and now dead centaur's guts into bloody puddy as the final centaur standing over Atalanta fell motionlessly to the ground.
THUD
Icarus could hear the adrenaline-charged beat of his chest slowly ease out into relief from his successful life or death gamble.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as the animal wearing the skin of man perished by his own hand, the blood of the centaur staining Chysia as Icarus pulled it out with the ease of a hot knife in butter.
The corpse briefly twitched from pulling out the sword as Icarus turned around to look at the small girl tied to the floor with a look of absolute disbelief in her eyes, but he could also see some relief hidden beneath her fear.
Icarus bent down onto his knees, severing her bindings as she kept still from shock, before slowly lifting her into his arms with a bridal carry.
Her initial shock began to wear off as she stared into his eyes with confusion and distrust. 'She most likely couldn't even understand the events that occurred, she was only a child, most likely not even in the double digits of age yet....' Thought with sadness but didn't show it and instead gave her a warm smile, one that He hoped would ease the trauma of this day from her,
"It's alright now, you're safe now."
——————
After killing the three animals, Icarus left their bodies to rot in the grass and be the feed of scavengers, in his opinion, they deserved no burial.
He then took Atalanta away from the area, he didn't want her to have to suffer any more trauma from this day and thought it best to just leave.
Unfortunately, it was at the cusp of night, and Icarus wouldn't have time to get us somewhere safe, especially in this far more dangerous era with Phantasmal Beasts roaming about.
But, some things had to take priority, with Atalanta's shivering form his my arms, still covered in stains of white. Icarus headed to a nearby stream of water he barely heard from downwind instead.
The entire time she never spoke, her eyes dull but Icarus could still see the small strands of light within them that brought a small smile to his lips.
'.....I'm glad I decided to save her.' Icarus thought with a sense of satisfaction.
He then held her frame in his arms even after arriving at the stream, she still kept still, completely unresponsive. Icarus had to wash her himself, rubbing the grimy sins of the day off her feral and petite body.
The whole time she still stood quiet and unresponsive, Icarus held back a grimace at the thought of how badly this would affect her.
He soon shrugged it off as he helped dry her body before taking out some of the last possessions from within his bag, one of the somewhat clean pair of clothes he took from his room after fleeing Athens.
He couldn't help but notice how they still seemed oversized on her small body, but Icarus hoped they at least provided her some warmth.
The sun had gone down at this point, as the sounds of the forest night had taken root, the chirping of bugs and swaying of leaves. A normal man would most likely feel a sense of danger in the air from the dark forest lit only by the light of the bright stars.
But, for some reason, even after all the events that had taken place today, Icarus felt warm, like as if the forest was his home and the creatures of the night wouldn't dare to offend him.
With that thought, Icarus once more lifted the small girl into his arms and held her against his chest as he crawled up against a tree.
Icarus wrapped her in his arms in an attempt to bring her some warmth and comfort, as he slowly felt her shaky breaths grow more steady and the nightmares of the day transfer into the sleeps of night.
