Death Before Defeat

Chapter 6

So I actually failed my exams-
But it's all good! I'll just redo the year and I'll still be with some of my friends so there are mostly pro's really :)
It just kinda sucks lol

I wrote this whole thing in the car to Italy, sooo XD

Anyways, enough about me! On to the gang, I'm very excited about this one (:

P.S. the answers to your Veri questions will be at the end ;)

<*~*>

After the fight Aza and Xavier both had been exhausted, Aza being more affected, but they were unsure if it was wise to stay close to the dead Gifra. Elias recommended they keep going, at least for a little while. Just in case the creature was sent after them.

Which was unlikely, they were cloaked right? By the God of Magic no less.

The scenery had not changed at all, save for a few hills appearing. The sun was still as bright as ever, occasionally disappearing behind a lonely cloud.

"Hey, are you doing alright?" Elias asked the assassin, frowning at the way she seemed to straighten up at the question.

"I'm fine. I've gone far longer without sleep than this." She huffed, picking up her pace with visible effort.

Elias raised his eyebrow and Xavier rolled his eyes. "If you say so." Elias shrugged and smirked. "You know, we have a shapeshifter in our presence, maybe he could turn into a horse and carry you for a little while?"

Xavier's head whipped around. "Just because I'm alright with her being here doesn't mean I'll let an assassin on my fucking back." He hissed, shooting a dirty look at Elias. "I'm also not a vehicle."

Elias shrugged again and ignored Aza's affronted look. "The sun is setting anyways, we need to find us a place to spend the night and it's not safe here in this open field."

"I'm sorry Aza, but do you see anything other than-" Something caught Elias' foot and he fell flat on his face.

He groaned and pushed himself up on his hands. The grass seemed untouched, of course he went straight through it.

Wait. How in the name of everything holy did he trip?

"Are you alright down there?" He heard a mocking voice asking. He grumbled something unintelligible. "You know if you were tired you could have just told us, no need to dramatically flop onto the ground like that." Aza continued, twirling one of her knives around idly. Xavier was standing next to her, silent as always. Only a slight furrow in his eyebrow gave his concern away.

Elias let out an offended gasp and shot up. "I beg your pardon? I do not 'flop down dramatically'. Something tripped me." He crossed his arms, huffing.

"But you're a ghost, everything would just go through you, right?" Aza said, batting her eyelashes at him innocently. "We have to keep moving, we need to find shelter." She turned around, flicking a weird looking whip as she went.

Elias narrowed his eyes at her and stomped after her, an amused Xavier trailing after them.

<*~*>

"How much grass can there be?" Elias whined. Surely there must be a change of scenery at some poi-

"A tree!" He exclaimed, spotting an old tree appearing from behind one of the hills. He heard twin groans coming from behind him as he took off once again.

As he approached the big hackberry tree he slowed. It was not just a lonely tree.

There was a village lying just behind it. It was eerily familiar.