Extremis: City of Sand

~ 4 - Rescued ~

The darkness slowly lifted. Artemis' eyes flickered open, seeing a blur of green directly above her. She was lying on rough forest ground. A dull pain throbbed through her entire body.

She grunted as she pushed herself off the ground, gaining the attention of her three companions. They watched as she stood up.

It was only when Artemis went to stretch her arms that she noticed them, and her heart plummeted. Turlon, Ursula and Dr. Cosmas were stood before her, and the two men did not look pleased.

Artemis cleared her throat, although that did nothing to relieve the tightness she felt there. "Hello," she greeted. "Um... what are you doing here?"

"The doctor informed us that he witnessed suspicious behaviour from you, and we followed your trail." Turlon explained. "It was lucky we found you when we did, or else that... thing would have killed you."

Artemis glanced around; the crimson covered monster had vanished. "What happened to him?" She asked.

"He fled," Ursula replied. "But enough about that. What about you? How are you feeling? That wound was nasty. That thing narrowly missed your lung."

"It hurts." Artemis admitted. "But I'll be fine." Her hand went to where she had been stabbed. Not even a scratch was left behind - if it had not been for the pain, she would not have guessed she had even been wounded.

"You'll only be fine so long as the wound doesn't reopen." Dr. Cosmas said, sighing. "I did what I could, but there's always a risk."

"Let's go back." Turlon said. "We can discuss this further back at headquarters, while Artemis rests."

"I... can't go back." Artemis blurted out. The three stopped and turned to look at her. She felt heat rise to her face at the inquisitive stares.

"You... can't go back?" Ursula repeated. "Why not?"

Before Artemis could explain, Azrael popped his head out of the pouch. "Hey." He said simply, grinning widely, displaying his sharp teeth.

Artemis, winced, and the three adults stared at him, completely frozen to the spot. The silence was lengthy and unsettling. Artemis honestly could not decide who looked more put out.

"Artemis," Turlon eventually muttered slowly. "What is that?"

"I'm not a 'what'," Azrael snapped at him. "I'm Azrael. I'm basically the most frightening demon around."

"Azrael?" Ursula repeated. "That's... the name of the demon that was locked inside the box that was recovered by Zeus Vesper."

"You... opened that box?" Dr. Cosmas questioned of Artemis, his eyes narrowing into a glare.

"I-I didn't mean to...!" Artemis stuttered. "He just-"

"The one thing we tell everyone not to do, and you go behind our backs and do it." The doctor scoffed. "Did you not hear all of the warnings that were given out? Didn't we tell you that the monster locked inside was dangerous?"

"Stephen..." Ursula warned, but he ignored her.

"You, of all people, should realise the significance of why that thing was there in the first place." Dr. Cosmas continued, jabbing a finger at Azrael. "And you just... spat on your ancestor like that? Just where were you going with that thing?"

"That's enough!" Turlon exclaimed. Dr. Cosmas stopped, turning away with a scowl on his face. The area was silent once again.

When it was clear that no other objections would be raised, Turlon spoke again. "Artemis, we need you to explain exactly what happened." He said. "We need to know how and why that demon managed to escape from it's prison."