a new Lu-Qiri

It has been half a week since Xu and Talon have made up and the blackblood has moved back to the smithy with Janzo moving back to the nightshade inn.

"There has to be another name. We have tried this for days. Why won't you tell me?" Talon asks the Dragman confused, with the girl simply sitting there, staring at Talon.

"Is this the one I'm supposed to call first?" Talon asks the blonde girl, receiving a brief nod in reply.

"Fine then. Let's get this over with so you can give me the other names. I just hope this Lu-Qiri won't be as much of a problem as the last one." Talon says, getting her sword and dagger before calling the Lu-Qiri, which steps through the blue glowing portal and looks behind itself, a female blackblood walking through the portal as well, the woman having dark long hair and a tattoo besides her right eye, reminding Talon of a stray black blood that killed her adoptive family when she was a child.

Talon orders the Lu-Qiri to restrain her but it doesn't move.

"He's not your Lu-Qiri. He's mine. You have seen this symbol before haven't you?" The woman asks, feeling Talon staring at her tattoo.

"A long time ago." Talon replies.

"Where is he? Where is my brother?" The woman asks.

"Dead." Talon replies cooly only for the lu-qiri to backhand her across the room and knock her out.

Meanwhile in the outpost Gwynn is inspecting the guards with Xu and Wythers besides her as her council.

"Queen Rosmund, you should agree to the smaller troops I've suggested. The men are getting tired and at this rate will collapse before the order could even make their way here." Xu says.

"Listen to him. If this goes on your men will loose their faith in their queen and defect." Wythers agrees.

"Plus with shorter shifts the men will be more rested and vigilant." Xu adds.

"Fine. Do it." Gwynn gives in after the two agreed on this matter.

"Thank you, Queen Rosmund." Xu says dutifully, bowing to her before going around and informing the men of the change in shifts. Brightening the mood amongst the soldiers considerably.

"It was a good choice bringing him aboard." Wythers remarks.

"Yes I think so too." Gwynn says.

"Xu have you seen Talon? She was supposed to meet me a while ago." Gwynn asks the tall warrior when he rejoins her and Wythers.

"No. I'll go look for her." Xu replies, bowing once more before leaving.

While he leaves Gwynn sends her maid to remind Janzo to make quick advances on the plagueling threat they are facing.

After a few minutes of searching for Talon, first in the nightshade and then heading to the former smithy he finds her unconscious in her house, a small cut on her temple.

"Talon. Talon!" He says, shaking her awake.

"What?" She groans, holding her head and back when she sits up.

"What happened?" He asks her concerned, lifting her up in his arm and carries her over to her bed where he sets her down carefully.

"Where is the Dragman?" Talon asks, touching her cut when she feels the dried blood on her skin.

"I don't know. Did she do this?" He asks.

"No. A blackblood came through with the Lu-Qiri." Talon sighs defeated.

"You summoned one?" Xu asks taken aback.

"Yes. The Dragman would only give me this one name so I hoped once I summoned this one she'd give me more names." Talon explains, Xu rubbing her hand comfortingly.

"We have to find her." Talon says, getting up, holding her side.

"First you're gonna go get looked at by Janzo. I'll ask the guards if they saw the Dragman." Xu tells her.

"I'm fine." Talon replies stubbornly.

"Really? Then punch me." Xu tells her challengingly and Talon raises her fists with a painful hiss.

"Get looked at by Janzo." Xu tells her again, lowering her fists and kisses her temple.

"Fine." She grunts, going outside with him and they split up, Talon to head to the nightshade while Xu asks around his guards whether someone has seen the missing girl.

"I'm fine Janzo. I don't need a fucking sling. I'd rather you just give me some booze." Talon complains to Janzo, who checked over her and tells her she has bruised ribs.

"Man you really are a bad patient my love." Xu says amused, jumping down into the cellar through the service hatch.

"Did anyone see her?" Talon asks.

"Yes. She walked out of the Outpost with a dark-haired woman with a tattoo." Xu answers, walking over to her and Janzo.

"That's the blackblood which came through the portal." Talon says.

"I'm sorry what? Portal? You summoned a blackblood?" Janzo asks shocked.

"No I summoned a Lu-Qiri, but its blackblood owner came with it." Talon answers.

"So, there is a Lu-Qiri running around the outpost again?" Janzo asks frightened.

"I'm afraid so. And this one I can't control." Talon answers.

"We better inform the queen about this, right?" Xu asks Talon.

"Yeah I guess. But first we need to try to get the Dragman back." Talon says, getting up from the bench she was sitting on, Xu offering a supporting arm which she grabs gratefully.

"Wait. You said that the Dragman walked out with the woman. Isn't it odd that she wouldn't try to fight back and why did she only give you this one name? It all seems too suspicious I'm not sure you can trust her Talon." Janzo warns them.

"Be it as it may. I can't let her get away though, We need the names from her if we have to fight the Order." Talon replies.

"We can decide how to handle the girl once we have her back in our care." Xu says nodding and leaves with Talon after thanking Janzo for treating Talon, who now has a bandage covered stomach with her leather armor half opened over it, only the buckles over her chest closed.

Soon after the two are walking through the woods around the Outpost, following the tracks of the Lu-Qiri.

"You're awfully quiet. What's on your mind?" Xu asks, his enormous axe resting on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure how to deal with this. I don't want you to have to fight a Lu-Qiri. And what would happen if you turn into one while fighting. Can she take control of you then and make you turn on me?" Talon says worried, looking up at her taller, muscular lover.

"I don't know Talon, but this is a good move. The blackblood will underestimate me and maybe we can get some information about what's going on. Maybe even kill the Lu-Qiri so the town is safe." Xu says.

"No! Don't kill it. It's just following orders." Talon requests.

"So? If someone gets told to attack us, I'll still annihilate whoever delivers the message, as well as the one ordering the attack." Xu says.

"Please, just try not to kill it. For me." Talon says looking at him pleadingly.

"Fine." He grumbles, before they come to a stop, hearing something in the woods close by and the blackblood as well as the Lu-Qiri reveal their presence.

"Who is this one? I admit for a human bastard he looks very pleasing to the eye." The woman asks, looking over Xu.

"Thanks? I guess?" Xu says confused.

"We're not here to chat about relationships. Give us back the Dragman." Talon tells her fellow black blood.

"I think you misunderstand. The Dragman is with me now. All you need to do is get in line and give me the asterkinj or summon our blackblood brothers and sisters yourself." The woman standing across from Talon and Xu says bossily, her Lu-Qiri stepping out of the forest next to its master.

"I won't do either and if the Dragman was so on board with your plans, then where is she to tell me herself?" Talon replies.

"You're in no position to question me." The other blackblood says, ordering her Lu-Qiri to attack Xu in her native tongue, the mountain of a beast stomping towards Xu who drops down his axe.

"Come on, show me what you got." Xu says, getting into a fighting stance while slipping his hands into his gauntlets, raising them just in time to block a backwards swipe by the demonic being, only sending him skidding backwards a few centimeters.

"I can do that too." Xu says cracking his knuckles as he steps up to the surprised looking being before punching it hard enough in the face to break one of its vicious looking teeth, the Lu-Qiri getting back up instantly and snarl at Xu angrily.

"Where did you find that guy? I want him as my servant." Talon's counterpart says impressed by Xu's power.

"He's mine." Talon says sharply, Xu punching at a knee the Lu-Qiri tries to drive through his head, blocking the strike.

The two continue to brawl a few more blows which would have left other opponents knocked out or with broken limbs.

The Lu-Qiri jumps at Xu, who ducks under it and leaps up with his feet, doing a flip while turning on his hand, facing the demon again.

The Lu-Qiri slashes in a wide arc at Xu, who initially moves to duck under it but has to take the hit of the sharp long claw on the Lu-Qiri's hand, stopping the deadly attack mere centimeters away from Talon's neck.

"Think about just working with me and getting our people." The Lu-Qiri's owner says and tells her companion to retreat before following the beast into the woods while Xu is holding his heavily bleeding arm.

"Xu. That was too reckless." Talon reprimands him, kneeling down next to him with a grunt and rips off part of her shirt, tying it tightly around his forearm where the Lu-Qiri nearly sliced the appendage in half.

"You' re telling me you almost got your head taken off." Xu says while groaning in pain.

"Come on we should let Janzo take a look at you." Talon says worried, waving him to follow her while she takes his heavy axe with them with some difficulty.

"Shouldn't my ability heal this?" Xu asks.

"What are you asking me for? It's your body." Talon replies in an angry tone, the situation bringing back memories of people she lost in the past.

"Yeah but you have more experience with these things in our bodies, right?" He asks only to receive a headshake negative from his worried girlfriend.

"Alright then let's get to Janzo." Xu agrees, grabbing his axe with his uninjured arm and the two speed up hurrying back to the Outpost.

Once there a guard informs them that the Queen wants to see them but after Talon nearly took his head off in her worried and guilt-ridden state he quickly backs off and they enter Janzo's cellar as they do so often.