Eternal Entities

Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

An all-out brawl broke out. Valgus closed the space between himself and the man with the forearm tattoo. He punched the ruffian underneath his jaw. The man reeled backward and brought his hands to cradle his chin. Vanajja reared up once she was freed from his grasp. She sank her fangs into his shoulder blade. The thug let out a muffled cry. Vanajja clawed at his collar and face. The thug coughed out, "This annoying bitch." He reached over his shoulder with both arms and grabbed Vanajja by her scruff. He pulled her off him. She had a chunk of his flesh and garment still ensnared in her fangs when he tossed her.

"Vanajja!" Valgus gasped.

"You should care about yourself more than the mutt," the thug advised. He barreled forward with his fists. Valgus deflected the blow and countered with an elbow to the man's abdomen. The man doubled over as the wind was forced from his lungs. Valgus kneed him in the face. The thug stumbled backward and brought a hand to his nose. It was already swelling. Blood trickled down and mingled with the gashes from Vanajja. "I won't be easy on you anymore, you prick!" He unsheathed the rapier on his belt.

Valgus let his fists down slightly. In a disappointed whine, he uttered, "Damn it." The man lunged. The rapier's point aimed at Valgus' eyes. Valgus side-stepped out of the way. The rapier just grazed the side of his head. The ruffian shifted into a diagonal slash. Valgus threw up his left arm. The blade ripped the tunic sleeve. A few drops of blood made it on the weapon. The thug went for another go and managed to knock Valgus' right shoulder. Before the blade contacted Valgus again, another sword intercepted the blow. Vanajja stood before him in her battered humanoid form.

"The f-," the thug's confusion was cut off when Vanajja pushed his assault back.

Nağme caught her bearings once she saw the fighting start. She kicked the man with the tattoo on his knee in the back of the head. The man tried to swat at her with one hand while still holding the glowing form. The sparkling figure squirmed frantically until it managed to pop out of the man's fist. It whizzed to a small crevice created by the overturned tables. The assailant let out an annoyed grunt and grabbed Nağme's ankles. He yanked her from the air and onto the ground. She landed on the joint of her left-wing with an audible snap. Nağme let out a sharp cry of pain. Her eyes refocused on her bow and quiver. She reached out and grabbed the weapons. Nağme notched an arrow and aimed it at the center of his tattoo on his left knee. She let the arrow fly and watched it pierce the target. He clasped his hands over the injury as he screamed obscenities. Nağme shakingly took to the air once more.

She steeled her nerves and notched another arrow. Nağme missed her mark. The arrow nailed a broken stall behind him. He reached into a pouch on his calf and pulled out a handful of throwing knives. He threw them at the flying avinian. She managed to dodge most of them but two lodged in her right-wing. Nağme fell out of the air. The man was soon on top of her to choke her. Nağme fumbled for her lyre. She got it unlatched and strummed a few meek chords.

The air around his head circled and he began to gasp. His hands loosened around Nağme's throat. She took in a deep breath. The wind, with an opaque yellow aura, rushed around the ruffian. He repeatedly got knocked around. During a gap in the assault, the man screamed, "Fuck this shit! I am done!" He hobbled away towards the outskirts of the town.

Aavistus lifted the ruffian who had restrained Nağme in the air with an entanglement of his shadow miasma and threw him against a wall. He lashed his opponent. The man tried to crawl out of range from the spiked whip to no avail. Aavistus cracked the whip once more. The ruffian held out a forearm and allowed the spines to dig into his flesh as the tendril coiled around him. The neck tattooed thug pulled and brought the raven avinian close.

"You may be tall, but you're a light as a feather," he mocked. He pulled out a dagger and charged towards Aavistus' heart. Aavistus blocked with his free arm. He retaliated with a hardened shadow to the head. The man managed to move his head enough to only receive a gash on his cheek. They were locked in a stalemate.

A flash of lightning blinded Aavistus. His head cracked on the ground simultaneously with the fall of the second thug. His singed body crawled in the direction heading out of town. Spasms mingled with his movements. Aavistus was pinned down by the man with a neck tattoo. He punched Aavistus in the face. The flurry of blows kept coming until a gust of magical wind shoved the man off him. The thug was about to get up but a blade pressed against his neck. Vanajja loomed over him with her golden stare.