Fight Scene

Panic Attack

A slight pause before another gust of wind blew, carrying with it licks of flame and small pieces of rock and metal. Demille braced herself and kept her eyes on the street, watching as Egill ducked into a crouching position to avoid being knocked over. What the hell is he doing? She wondered, brows knitting together in confusion. He stayed in one spot, knees tucked to his chest and covering his ears. If she hadn't known better, Demille would think that he was... Scared. But of what? She was reminded of how she had cowered when her village had been raided, and despite her reservations about the man, and her hatred for his acts, she felt a pang of empathy for him. It's possible he went through something similar.
She didn't know if it was the sudden rush of emotion or if it was her need to save others that moved her, but Demille jumped up and bolted toward the strange man. In her mind she realized she might regret the action later, but that didn't stop her. Heat rushed at her once more as she bolted into the street, squinting her eyes but determined to keep moving. She kept her arm cradled against her as she ran, keeping as much heat and flying dirt from brushing the wound as possible. The last thing she needed was to get an infection on that scale.
"Hey!" She shouted, attempting to get Egill's attention. He didn't stir. She started to call out again, assuming he couldn't hear her over the wind, but stopped. There was no use trying to get the attention of someone in shock, if that's what was really happening. Her sight limited Demille continued forward in the direction she had seen the man, watching closely for his hunched form as it appeared at the edge of her vision. She reached out her good arm to touch his shoulder, grabbing with a gentle strength. His head snapped up to look at her as he jerked away, hands falling from his ears to catch him as he fell to the side. She stopped for a moment, searching for any kind of trick in his fear-filled eyes. He breathed rapidly despite the hot, dirt-filled air surrounding them and lifted himself back onto his feet.
"This doesn't make us friends." She muttered, grabbing his arm. She started to move back to the side of the building with Egill when he yanked himself out of her grasp, making her have to spin on her heel to face him again.
"Don't." He barked, glaring. She just rolled her eyes.
"You're gonna get splattered by rocks if you stay here, and I'm not gonna stand by and watch that happen!" He shifted out of her reach as she grabbed for him again, reaching out his arm and splaying his fingers. Demille watched in shock as a stone blade forged in the palm of his hand, the nearby dirt and flying debris evaporating before her eyes. Before she could wonder how he did it Egill slashed at her with the mostly-formed knife, forcing her to step back. There was another pause in the wind, allowing Demille to fully open her eyes. The stranger stood a few feet from her, grasping his weapon in a shaking hand. He looked flushed and his eyes darted crazily, as if he expected an enemy troop to pounce on him at any moment. It's possible he wasn't far from the truth.
A new wave of hot air shoved at them both and they tumbled to the ground. Demille yelped in pain as she landed on the arm that had been tucked into her chest. She figured the person causing the wind was getting closer by the way the attack- was it an attack?- kept growing in strength. Her eyes managed to open enough to get her bearings as she leapt up, keeping her body low as before. She spotted Egill first, swiping dirt out of his eyes. His lips moved like he was muttering to himself but she couldn't hear any of the words over the howling wind. Ignoring the possibility of falling over again, and using some blood to pick out as much debris as she could from the wound she fell on, Demille moved toward the man with measured steps. His hair whipped furiously, blocking her from his vision until she reached out and grabbed him, holding tightly to both of his arms as she tugged him to his feet. He thrashed in her grip, trying to break loose, but she kept her grip on his sleeves and started walking to the building again.
"I'm helping you!" She yelled at Egill when he dragged his feet, pushing him in front of her but keeping her hold. Despite his panicked state the man scoffed, turning his head to face Demille as she shoved him along.
"Helping me? Or feeding your hero-like ego?" She thinks for a moment before responding, wanting to talk as little as possible with all the dirt in the air.
"You look like you've faced raids before, am I right?" He pressed his lips into a tight line, saying nothing, so she continued on, nearly shouting to be heard over the wind. "My village was destroyed when I was young. I'm not gonna let you die trapped in memories like those." Egill didn't respond and turned his head to look forward again, sending a tumble of hair into her face. But he stopped fighting her.