To Imagine...

The Storm

A strangled gasp of pain escaped Gadek's lips as the blade pierced him from behind. He stood frozen until the man abruptly removed it and Gadek fell to one knee, still clutching me in a painful grip as I looked up over his shoulder into the icy gaze of the Zaiken. His blade dripped with blood, and an expression of pure hatred was etched across his features. In a moment of confusion, I couldn't believe that our pursuers had caught up to my bruising pace. A tendril of magic sent upon the wind told me then that they hadn't--it took much longer than before to even find them, they were still so far off. The group must have contacted a nearby stronghold and set up an ambush to intercept us.

Gadek's breath was hot and forceful on my cheek.

"Did you really think you could get away?" The Zaiken sneered with a venom in his tone. I looked to Gadek's face and saw both determination and great exhaustion. The power he had transferred to me moments before had drained him. Despite this, he heaved the two of us to our feet, setting me down and sweeping his gaze across those who surrounded us. His body was tense; likely the gash was already clotting to begin closing the wound.

I smiled, showing my teeth.

"I have, hundreds of times before. This time will be no more difficult." I watched his expression darken further and with a splash he took a step forward, but was stopped abruptly by an iron grip on his shoulder. The look of poison he turned on the larger, older man felt violent enough I thought he might strike him.

Then he took a deep breath and sighed with compliance, turning back to me, though the man still eyed him warily.

"We are well aware of who you are. I have to say, I am disappointed. The stories about you made it seem that you were, well... more... perhaps a bit more threatening... or taller, in the least."

It was my turn to find offense now, but I let the anger pass over me with the conviction to keep a calm center. I allowed my fangs to show, a clear threat that also displayed my amusement.

"And I expected they would know better than to send such an... unfortunately incompetent team to intercept us." I swept my gaze across our seven adversaries, or at least those in my immediate vision. "Truly unfortunate indeed."

One of the Zaiken hissed and spat at the ground by our feet, his face contorted into a barely contained rage.

"We should kill them now and be done with it!" He snarled, and I wondered for a moment if it was personal. Had I murdered a companion of his? I had a growing list of... personal feuds, to put it lightly. I snorted, but the pounding rain swallowed the sound.

The older man spoke quickly, shooting him a withering gaze.

"Our orders were to subdue and restrain, I suggest you hold your tongue."

"Say he attacked first," the man retorted, taking an aggressive stance. "Typical behavior."

"Do not make me repeat myself, Tekken." The words were spoken with steel in his voice, but seemed to pass over the man Tekken without effect.

"An acciden--"

"Allow me to save you the trouble of such a dishonorable embarrassment," I interrupted, and my casual stance erupted into a flurry of daggers, guided by my magic at unnatural angles to fly at those behind me as well as in front. I leapt high into the air, aided by a powerful wind, and flipped back to the ground behind those which had once stood behind me. The cluster of Zaiken were forced to parry or dodge my daggers, and then the night exploded into a nightmare of action.

Lightning struck with only a moment's notice, the magic that summoned it humming in the air just before the release. I leapt back and watched in horror as the ground before me lay scorched, the ungodly light burning spots into my eyes and sending me reeling from the blast.