Istladris | Sailor Moon & saberwolf

[envogue]

Vanamarilla hardly had the chance to respond when a vicious wind blew into the cave, almost sending her flying off of the rock she was on. When she went to brace herself, there was a brush against her chest, too heavy to be the wind alone. She opened her eyes to see the wind swirling around Asena and the glow of Istladris creating red trails behind it. It was too late to react, that much was clear as a young man appeared in the cave, a taunting expression on his face that made Vanamarilla scowl.

There was little chance to do anything before the coyote fled from the cave, Asena right behind him. Vanamarilla, clearly not being a wolf or spirit had a moment of hesitation, but she bolted out into the storm after Asena. The wind was harsh, and the dark clouds betrayed her eyes as it made the surroundings areas more difficult to navigate with the heavy rain pouring down from the sky, beating on her skin like tiny needles.

Asena was almost out of sight and Vanamarilla was struggling to keep up with her. "Asena! Wai-" Vanamarilla faltered slightly as her foot hooked around the overgrown root of a tree. She fell forward into a puddle of mud, and looked up to see that Asena was long gone. Vanamarilla knew that the wolf spirit's lust for the gem would keep her on the hunt for the coyote, and there was no choice for Vanamarilla, but to hunt her down. She worried that if Asena got her hands on Istladris that she may not return, breaking their agreement to find the rest of the shards together.

Vanamarilla slowly got to her feet, her knees throbbing where she landed on them. She started to walk in the direction that she last saw Asena, scanning her surroundings as the wind howled through the trees. Shivers went up her spine as she ventured deeper into the forest. The canopy overhead was so thick that Vanamarilla wondered how much time had passed. Finally, she heard what sounded like a scuffle coming from somewhere in the forest, and Vanamarilla rushed in the direction she thought it came from.

As Vanamarilla was running, she lost her footing and stepped on a hole masked as a small pile of leaves. She slid down the hole, grasping at whatever the earth could provide to keep from falling further into the hole. Her stomach churned as she was flung through the air and into the depths of an underground cave. It took a moment or two for the elf to realize that her landing was much softer than it should have been, considering everything below was rocky. Vanamarilla moved just a little bit, but her arms and legs were bound, or stuck by something.

"What is this?" Vanamarilla asked quietly as she attempted to yank her arms free. She concentrated briefly and created a white glow around her hands, granting her the light she needed to make out what looked like tattered threads of silk. She could see there were tons of it all over the cave, and it clung to her cloak and skin like glue. Something clicked in her head that caused her eyes to widen with fear. It was then that she felt the threads of silk supporting her frame bouncing lightly, as something moved along it.

First, it was the figure of a naked woman with eight beady eyes clustered on her forehead, pointed ears, and the body of a spider. Her legs stretched halfway across the web easily, but she made her way along the web cautiously, the tips of her fangs visible from behind her parted lips. Vanamarilla couldn't look away. She watched the whole time the half-spider half-woman approached, until it was standing directly over her. Uncharacteristic of a spider, it got close to Vanamarilla and sniffed at her curiously.

"A young she-elf," The spider hissed seductively, one of her front legs raising and going to rest on Vanamarilla's shoulder firmly.

Vanamarilla winced slightly as the claw dug into her skin, though she tried not to show it on her face. Only the tip had punctured her skin, yet she could feel the blood rolling down her shoulder. The smell of her blood only enticed the spider, but Vanamarilla needed to be free. Perhaps, since this spider appeared to be somewhat human it could be reasoned with.

"Please. I mean you no harm, release me from this web." Vanamarilla pleaded, prompting a razor sharp smile from the spider-woman.

"I can't." The spider replied. If I don't eat you, they will..." She said, to which the top row of her eyes shifted to the ceiling where several sleeping spider women hung from their webs. Her gaze went back to Vanamarilla, and venom began to drip from her fangs. "Painless..." It whispered, head tilted back as it prepared to bite.

Vanamarilla screamed at the top of her lungs and a small white barrier materialized over her body, the spider's fangs bounding off of the surface. The spider looked baffled for a moment, but that quickly changed to outrage and she did it again, the barrier starting to give way after the second attempt. Vanamarilla didn't know how much longer she could keep it going, but she focused on repelling the blows.

The spider web was stretching at the constant force, and the spider raised up her front legs and hammered at the barrier. Vanamarilla's scream seemed to have attracted the other spiders' attention. She heard them hissing as they crawled closer to the web. All it took was one moment of distraction and Vanamarilla's barrier shattered, one of the spider's legs burying itself deep in her shoulder as it did. The smell of her blood made the spider's lurking in the shadows move closer, only stopping on the rim of the spider's web.

"The she-elf is mine. Leave her," The spider hissed angrily, moving towards the outer rim of her web to protect her prey. Another spider had unknowingly slipped past the other, headed straight for Vanamarilla as it crawled along the ceiling, and slowly lowered itself on a single thread.

 

[Saber]

Even though the wind was howling in Asena's ears, she could still manage to pick up the faint laughter from the coyote spirit in front of her. She clenched her jaw and felt the burn engulf her body as she ran harder. How dare that coyote steal the shard, let alone, how dare he show himself and then mock Asena by following them. The wolf growled again as the burning in her body intensified and steam began to roll off her body. Her shift came smoothly as she fell forward on all fours, her claws digging into the damp earth and she lunged forward after the coyote.

"Can't keep up, wolf?" He was taunting her! Asena snarled as she gained on the young man and snapped at his legs. The coyote leapt out of the way before laughing again, only succeeding in annoying Asena even more. The wolf took a risk and inhaled deeply before releasing a large blast of blue fire at the coyote, which seemed to catch him off guard as it flew past his face. His steps faltered and he tripped on a rock before Asena descended on him. Her paws pinning on each side of the now, very small looking coyote. "Easy now!"

"I'll ease up when you return what you've stolen, coyote!" Asena bared her teeth to add to her demand and lowered them towards the coyote who turned his head away. "Give me the shard!"

"Where is your she-elf?." The coyote smirked as he wiggled his way out from Asena while the wolf was distracted, caught off guard by the question. He dusted off his clothes and pulled out the shard from his pocket while Asena glared at him. The gem pulsing gently as the draw to it became overwhelming. "What's more important, wolf?" The coyote tossed the shard into the air and caught it again as the wind died down, but the rain continued to fall heavily. "She could be in trouble."

Asena growled as she lowered herself to the ground before she heard a shrill scream echo through the forest. The wolf's ears perked, it was Vanamarilla. She should've stayed put! Asena thought to herself as she kept her glowing eyes trained on the coyote. More than anything the spirit wanted that shard. She could be so much stronger, have better control over her power if she had that shard. But she needed all of it, and she wouldn't be able to find more shards without Vanamarilla.

So with an agitated snarl, Asena turned tail and ran in the the direction of the scream. She weaved fluidly through the trees and as she reached a particularly dense area closer towards the cave they had taken shelter in. The wolf skidded to a stop when she saw a large hole in the ground and a few scattered leaves. The metallic tang of blood was lingering in the air near the tunnel that was mixing with Vanamarilla's scent, as well as several spider demons. She was definitely in there, and most definitely in trouble.

The wolf couldn't help but roll her eyes at Vanamarilla's predicament. She knew that she needed to save the elf, but she wasn't sure how to go about it. Running head first into a spider demon's den wasn't the smartest idea, and with the tunnel being so small, she wouldn't be able to go down as a wolf. Asena sighed as she shed her fur and stood on her back legs while she turned back into her human form. She rolled her shoulders before jumping down into the tunnel,sliding a long way before she stopped, just before she entered the den.

She saw Vanamarilla stuck in a giant web, as well as at least five (that she could see in the dark den) female spider demons. One in particular, was over the she elf, fighting off the others that seemed to be trying to get to Vanamarilla. The smell of blood was stronger in the den and Asena noticed the wound on the elf's arm before stepping into the den. Deciding she should intervene, lest they devour the elf before the wolf could save her.

"Excuse me." The hissing and shouting stopped as the demons looked down towards Asena. "You all seem, very nice and all. So I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting that she-elf go. She owes a debt to me, you see."

"Who do you think you are to invade our den, wolf." One of the demons hissed at her, specifically, the one that was over Vanamarilla. "This she-elf fell into our den, and now she is my dinner." That comment caused the other demons to start snarling and hissing again. Asena was growing impatient. She needed Vanamarilla, mainly alive and preferably not maimed.

 

[envogue]

There were eight pairs of eyes glowing from the ceiling, which Vanamarilla hadn't noticed, until now. Vanamarilla began wriggling around on the web, eager to break free as the spider demon lowered itself closer to her. With all of the spiders slowly waking up, and the spider demon whose web Vanamarilla had landed in fending off the others, there was little hope of getting out of this alive. She wasn't going to scream and alert the spiders to her presence again. She was thinking that maybe if she stayed silent the arguing would cause the spiders to forget about her, though that was highly unlikely with the scent of her blood in the air.

Just as the spider demon opened it's arms to take Vanamarilla, it's neck snapped in the direction that Vanamarilla had fallen in from and hissed. She followed the spider's line of sight, wondering if her eyes had betrayed her as they settled on Asena. She soon got her answer as Asena began sassing the spider demons with no regards for her own life, it seemed. Truly, she hadn't expected the wolf spirit to come to her aid, not without getting the jewel first, and she knew Asena hadn't retrieved it from the coyote as there was no red glow emanating from anywhere on Asena's body.

The spider hovering above Vanamarilla picked her from web and held her close against her bare bosom, smiling with her teeth as she looked at Asena. "I will guard the she-elf from the intruder." The spider demon said, her red eyes glistening in the dark. She ran her tongue along the points of her fangs. "If we claim this mutt will have enough to feast on for days.Tear her apart!" She commanded, smirking as the other spider demons hissed in response. The ones that were previously fixated on Vanamarilla shifted their attention to Asena and rushed towards the wolf spirit. They covered an enormous amount of ground with their long legs, and moved easily along the sticky surface of the web covered cave.

"As for you," The spider demon whispered, the tip of her tongue grazing Vanamarilla's pointy ears. "You'll only be skin and bones when they realize what has happened to you." The spider holding Vanamarilla used this time to retreat into the shadows. Where she was taking the elf was a mystery, but one would guess it was to her own web.

Vanamarilla may have been weaker than most, but she wasn't going to allow herself to become a meal for this spider, and now that she had been pulled free she had somewhat of an advantage. She swiftly jabbed her index and middle finger into one of the spider demon's more prominent eyes, her stomach sinking as it punctured the eyeball.

The demon let out a sharp cry of pain, though that quickly changed to anger as she lost her vision in that eye. Sharp claws found their way around Vanamarilla's neck, the she-elf then ripped from the spider's body and held out in the air. "You!" The demon said through gritted teeth. Her claws dug into the elf's skin, Vanamarilla gasping for air. She wouldn't kill the elf - not this way, at least. Spider demons loved to eat while their victim's heart still beat inside their chest, though they often liked to paralyze their meals first. This spider had no intentions of being merciful towards Vanamarilla though, not after she took her eye.

 

[Saber]

Asena growled as she extended her claws. These low level demons weren't worth her shift and she wasn't about to waste energy on them. As the first demon descended on her, she dispatched it easily. Her claws tore through flesh and bone like water and the spider demon fell around her, cut in half. Of course, that didn't deter the other demons from trying to finish what they'd started. As the other attacked her, Asena watched as the spider that had ordered the others to capture her tried to escape with Vanamarilla. The wolf huffed. Typical, deceitful beings, spider demons. All they cared about was eating and feeding themselves.

"Out of my way!" Asena grunted as she cut her way through two more demons and tried to run after the elf.

"And where do you think you're going?!" One of the demons hissed as it's clawed leg found Asena's leg. The wolf groaned as sharp claws dug into her flesh, but tried to pursue Vanamarilla anyway. Then an idea came to her. She stopped struggling and let the spider wrap its legs around her tightly, moving her so she was held in front of beady red eyes.

"I was trying to stop your sister from hording that she-elf all to herself." Asena nodded her head backwards where the demon had Vanamarilla held by the neck. "She tricked you, don't you see? She wanted you to come after me so she could have that elf all to herself. Why would she want you to capture me? I'm all bone."

The demon, surprisingly, flexed its legs around the wolf and growled, apparently unsatisfied with Asena's lean figure. She tossed the wolf spirit aside before rushing towards her sister demon and catching her by the neck. Effectively causing the grip on Vanamarilla to loosen and the elf fell to the ground. Asena didn't waste anytime rushing to the elf and scooping her up in her arms as the other spider demons rushed towards the other two. It was true what she'd heard, spider demons really were greedy. For a brief moment, as Asena was slowly backing up with Vanamarilla in her arms, she heard the spiders shouting at each other before one lashed out and beheaded the demon who had been holding the elf.

After that, it was a feeding frenzy as the spider demons descended on their sister. The sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking filled the den as Asena swallowed hard before turning swiftly and jumping up into the tunnel they'd fallen through. The wolf was using some of her spirit energy to ascend the tunnel faster. She didn't want to be around when the spiders realized they'd lost two potential meals after devouring their treasonous sister.

So when she saw the sky once more, she turned in the direction they'd previously been traveling and ran. She wanted to put a good amount of distance between them and that spider den. Luckily, the storm had let up, but it was still raining, which meant that the spiders wouldn't be leaving their den until it stopped. That allowed more time to get as far away as possible. After a few minutes of intense running, Asena decided that they'd gotten far enough away where the spiders would lose their scent due to the rain. She found a small grove where the canopies of the trees protected the ground for the most part, and stopped to take shelter once more.

"You sure are exceptionally talented at finding trouble." Asena said as she shook her head and looked down at the she elf in her arms. "You're lucky I heard your scream from so far under ground."

 

[envogue]

The spider-demon nearly squeezed the last breath out of Vanamarilla before being beheading by one of it's sisters. Vanamarilla only saw the spray of blood in place of the demon's head, as she fell from it's gasp and onto the cold hard floor of the cave. She blacked out soon after, only opening her eyes as the light of day washed against her eyelids and Asena's voice sounded from above.

"You saved me. Why?" Vanamarilla replied, curious. Her voice came out hoarse. She put her hands on the spot where the spider-demon had all but snapped her neck in half. It was tender to the touch, but certainly nothing she couldn't handle.

The missing weight on her chest became more apparent as they were standing in the clearing, and Vanamarilla suddenly looked worried. "What happened to the gem? Did that coyote spirit best you?" She asked, trembling at the thought. "We'll never get it back. We have to go and get it back now, Wolf Spirit." The elf pushed herself out of Asena's arms. She landed clumsily on the ground, but she was quick to get to her feet and rush off, clearly with no idea where to even look.​

 

[Saber]

When Vanamarilla moved from out of her arms, the wolf didn't try and stop her as the elf stumbled to the ground. And she wasn't the least bit surprised that the she-elf was immediately dogging her about the gem. So Asena just raised an eyebrow at the elf before folding her arms in front of her chest, waiting for a chance to speak. When that moment finally came, the spirit sighed and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"First of all," She started, extending her index finger into the air. "I saved you because I'm not a horrible human who'd rather go after a gem than save someone they're traveling with in danger." Asena then extended her middle finger and glared at short elf. "Second, the shard is with the blasted coyote thief who managed to stick his hand into your cleavage without you doing anything about it. Thirdly," Her eyes narrowed at Vanamarilla as she took a couple steps forward until she was having to look down at the pink haired elf. "That beast did not best me, I had to retreat in order to save a particular elf's life from spider-demons ripping her limb from limb and devouring her." The notion that a coyote could best her was comical, but still an insult.

Asena's expression fell flat, unamused that Vanamarilla would just assume that a coyote would defeat her in anything other than being a conniving thief. If she hadn't had to leave to save the elf's life she would've buried that coyote boy into the ground and let the insects take care of him. The wolf sighed, she wasn't really sure why she was so compelled to save Vanamarilla. If it had been a day or so earlier (less even) she would've swiped that jewel and ran, but she couldn't bring herself to do it now. Not when the elf was actually in life threatening danger.

"Ridiculous." Asena huffed as she turned from the elf and in the direction that they needed to travel. "He couldn't have traveled far with the storm, he'd want to seek shelter in the village I'm sure. If anything just to trick more people into stealing their things." The wolf glanced over her shoulder and frowned. "We need to get going if you want your precious jewel back." As if Asena didn't want it for herself.

 

[envogue]

Vanamarilla didn't argue back with the wolf spirit, as Asena definitely had a point. It didn't take long for the pink haired elf to realize she had made a mistake, and had been a little rude in her delivery earlier. She had a difficult time articulating her feelings, especially when the bond with Istladris was so strong. It felt like she had lost a vital part of herself, which was ridiculous when she really thought about it.

"Asena," Vanamarilla said, as the silence was just becoming too much for her. She felt that the two of them had reached a mutual respect, and she didn't want that to be strained during their journey together. An apology never left her lips, though. Vanamarilla was a little too embarrassed by the whole ordeal to say anything even resembling that. She knew that Asena was the reason for her still being alive, which, in her stubborn mind would suffice for now. There was nothing left to say, so the elf started in the direction that Asena was kind enough to point out.

The rain had slowed considerably, and the light of day was starting to peek through as the storm clouds passed over the area. Vanamarilla patted the coin purse that was(thankfully) still attached to her belt as they neared the village entrance, grateful that they would at least have the geld to get the things they needed. She looked up at Asena, who she hadn't spoken to for the whole walk there.

"Where would you like to go first?" Vanamarilla asked quietly. She could see various little shops, and an inn not too far off. "I'm going to see the apothecary for some herbs to dress my wounds." The elf paused for a moment as she had flashbacks of what had happened the last time she visited a strange shop alone. She didn't linger on that negativity, though. Not all humans were up to no good, and she didn't need Asena thinking she couldn't handle herself. Sure, most of the events leading up to now would prove otherwise, but Asena hadn't seen how Vanamarilla managed to survive in the spider-demon's den without her.

"Here. You take this," Vanamarilla said, before Asena could reply. She opened the coin purse to remove a few geld and took Asena's hand, dropping a few pieces into her palm. "That should be enough to stock up on supplies and get us a room at the inn."​

 

[Saber]

The walk to the village was silent, thank the gods, and Asena found herself enjoying the sounds the forest had to offer for once. She was still a little worked up from the accusations Vanamarilla had thrown at her, but she wouldn't linger on it. She knew that the elf was aware that without her, she would've been spider food. Something like that doesn't go unrecognized even by the most self absorbed people. Finally, the village came into view and the wolf sighed. She was hungry, not to mention tired from chasing after a thieving coyote, but from fighting off spider demons as well. She barely used her spirit form for anything other than hunting, so to use her powers was draining when she wasn't used to using them at all.

When they entered the small settlement, Asena looked around at the various shops and buildings. This village was much larger than the one they'd been in earlier, to the wolf's delight. This meant she might actually be able to find some well cooked meat that hadn't been on the verge of rotting. Before she could reply to anything the she-elf next to her had asked, her hand was being taken and she felt several coins be dropped in her hand. She glanced down and counted ten of them. More than she needed for almost anything that they could've needed for traveling.

"All right." Asena replied as she turned towards the nearest shop and started walking towards it. It was just a general shop, selling all sorts of supplies and food, as well as some clothing. She walked around the shop as the keeper greeted her warmly, to which she did not respond. The wolf filled her arms up with a couple blankets, rope, and a large rolled up canvas. Those were the essentials so far. She wasn't really sure about food since she could eat almost anything raw, but she had a soft spot for seasoned meat that humans made.

"Maybe Vanilla can cook." She thought to herself as she set her supplies on the counter in front of the man who rang it up. Everything together didn't even cost one geld coin. As she exited the shop, she glanced around, looking for a market stand and saw a few towards the center of town. It didn't take long to pick out a few vegetables, fruits and bread. She didn't want to get meat just yet since they had no way of keeping it. Maybe some salted and dried cuts would be best. She would wait for Vanamarilla to make those decisions. After all, the elf is the one who couldn't hunt her own food.

 

[envogue]

The apothecary shop was small, but cluttered with all sorts of wares that one would usually find in such a place. Vanamarilla walked along the aisles, head bent as she peeked through a space in between the shelves to monitor any 'suspicious' activities. After what happened in the previous shop Vanamarilla wanted to be aware of her surroundings, and not get pulled into anymore shady schemes by the humans. Thankfully the person working the counter was an old lady with a pleasant look about her, which set the elf's worries at ease.

Vanamarilla selected a few fresh herbs from the shelf. They were a little pricier than the dried variety, but were a lot more potent and with the right handling, would last awhile. She also picked up a few bandages, and whatever else they might need on their journey. With the items in hand, Vanamarilla went up the clerk and checked out her items. Much to Vanamarilla's relief, the clerk didn't pay much mind to her foreign appearance.

Vanamarilla clutched her bag to her chest and started in the direction of the inn. As she was heading there, she saw Asena at a market stand picking out groceries. The elf covered her mouth with three fingers to stifle a giggle, before heading over.

"Are you going to cook those for somebody?" Vanamarilla asked in a playful tone, as she came up behind the wolf. She stopped and looked at some of the food on the stand, then turned her attention back to Asena. She paused suddenly as a powerful force tugged at her spirit. It could only be one thing. "Asena, the gem. It's nearby..."

 

[Saber]

Asena turned when she heard Vanamarilla's voice and raised an eyebrow before taking a large sack of food items from the merchant. "For your information, I was hoping you'd be able to cook something, Vanilla." The wolf huffed, honestly she couldn't cook, she ate things as raw as they came. If Vanamarilla wanted to survive, she'd have to cook. "If I cooked, you'd get burnt everything." Asena was about to turn away when she saw the elf's expression get serious and the wolf furrowed her brow when Vanamarilla mentioned the gem.

Instantly the spirit's eyes began to dart back and forth. The coyote was around here, he head to be if Vanamarilla was sensing the gem. Asena huffed softly as she set the sack of food down and lifted her nose into the air. She inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the smell of humans and cooked food wafting around her. To her left, she finally caught his scent and without tending to Vanamarilla, began sprinting in that direction. The coyote's scent was getting stronger, so strong that Asena could almost see it compared to the scents of all the humans.

She growled softly as she turned down a smaller, more crowded street where people seemed to be gathering. She could hear clapping and cheering as she neared a small, concentrated crowd of people and weaved through until she could see what the commotion was all about. The only advantage of her height being that it gave her a good view over most humans' heads. Asena tried to stay back as much as possible so the coyote wouldn't see her. With this amount of people he could slip away easily.

"Oh, sorry, sir. Looks like this round belongs to me." Asena growled when she heard the coyote's voice and looked over a woman's head to see the young man scooping up a pile of gald and coppers.

Con artist. Asena ground her teeth as she pushed through the rest of the crowd and the man who had just lost his money. The coyote was too busy counting his money to notice the wolf spirit until she slammed her hands down on the small table he was sitting at and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Give me the gem back."

 

[envogue]

Aku was riding on cloud nine. He had managed to a snag a mysterious gem from a pair of gullible travelers, and had just started an obvious winning streak against some naive villagers. Being a coyote spirit, Aku was able to slip by any unsuspecting predator and prey. He could steal in broad daylight and be out of sight in the blink of an eye. He was quite the trickster, but so were all of the coyote spirits. Coyote spirits only gained satisfaction by committing petty crimes and thievery. They were notorious for hoarding jewels and gems for no other reason than to marvel at it's beauty.

Like many coyote spirits, Aku was a coward. Normally he would only only fight if he had a clear advantage, but he would prefer to flee before it got too serious. So naturally, when someone grabbed him out of the blue, his first reaction would be to cower in fear. When he looked up and saw a particular pair of eyes burning into his own, he put on a brave face and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh. That raggedy thing? I pawned it off in the village shop," Aku said, rolling his eyes to look elsewhere. He appeared calm, but he was sweating. People were starting to look, and the last thing he needed was a scene. "It wasn't worth much, but I'll buy you a loaf of bread with the geld piece I got for it. We'll call it even, yeah?"

"You look like you could use a loaf of bread to fill you out," Aku added, earning a few chuckles from the crowd.

"He's lying!" A voice shouted from deep within the crowd.

Vanamarilla moved through the crowd carefully, the sack of groceries held securely on her back. She finally emerged when a group of men stepped aside, peering down curiously at the woman. Vanamarilla walked ahead of the crowd, clearly flustered after having to chase down her companion with the extra weight on her back. She approached Asena and the coyote spirit, eyes narrowing as she got a good look at the thief.

"Heeey, you made it out, huh?" Aku said, his demeanor shifting to a curious playfulness. "You know, it's your fault that butter fingers here couldn't hold onto the gem. Should have stayed out of trouble."

Vanamarilla furrowed her brows angrily. She could clearly see the glow of the gem in the coyote's spirit's pants, and she wasn't going to listen to his taunts any longer. With a huff, she dug into the coyote's pant pockets. Her fingertips barely touched the gem before the coyote grabbed her wrist, and shoved her back.

Aku twisted in Asena's grip and flipped backwards, the heel of his foot aimed at the wolf spirit's chin. He laughed and leaped back onto the roof of one of the nearby houses. "Is this what you're looking for?" Aku retrieved the red gem from his pocket and held it up in the air, sneering at the two of them.

 

[Saber]

"P-pawned it!?" Asena growled as she tightened her grip on the coyote's collar and pulled him closer, bearing his teeth. How could he pawn such a valuable gem? Was this kid blind? Even an elderly human man could tell the gem was more than just an ordinary jewel. Still, the wolf shook the thought from her mind before Vanamarilla stepped forward, claiming the gem was still in the coyote's pocket.

When the she-elf tried to take the gem from the coyote's pocket, the man grabbed Vanamarilla, shoving her back and wrenching himself from Asena's grip. She dodged his foot before putting her arm out to keep the elf from falling to the ground and growled when she saw the coyote holding up the gem. There was a sly grin growing on his face that the wolf longed to rip off. This coyote was begging to be beat.

"When I get my hands on you you're going to wish I had only beat you into a pulp!" Asena lunged at the coyote and he dodged, landing on her shoulder and jumping to run in the opposite direction. "Get back here, whelp!" The wolf felt her eyes burn as they began to glow. She saw the coyote's heart racing and it stood out from all of the other humans'. That made him a bit easier to follow as she shoved past people and into the main market square. He may be fast, but her eyesight gave her the ability to follow him. Not to mention she already had his scent.

They weaved in and out of people, the coyote shoving humans in Asena's path to try and block her. The wolf growled as she shoved a young man from her path and finally, tiring of their chase, not to mention they were nearing town and if they got back into the forest it'd be harder to track him. So she lunged forward, firing all the muscles in her legs and tackled the coyote to the ground. They both rolled in the dirt, making a large dust cloud before they finally stopped, Asena's hands on the coyote's neck as she held him down. She felt the sharp ends of her fangs as they grew and it was getting hard to hold back her instincts to kill.

"I should take your hands for taking what isn't yours!"

"Take it easy!" The coyote raised his hands up to shield his face as Asena's grip tightened around his throat. "I-I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Aku, you're a wolf spirit, right? We're practically family." Aku felt the wolf's grip tighten again and he swallowed hard.

"I'm not a thieving low life like you." Asena growled as she felt the coyote struggle under her hold. "Now give me the gem." The wolf watched as Aku nodded, the best he could, and reached into his pocket once more. Asena swiped it quickly with one hand while continuing to hold the coyote down with the other. She sighed, relieved, but still angry.

"S-so you're gonna let me go, right?" Aku asked as the wolf looked down before slipping the gem under her arm band. "Let bygones be bygones?"

"I think you'll find I'm not a very forgiving spirit."

 

[envogue]

Vanamarilla steadied herself, then looked up to see the coyote spirit standing on a roof. He was lording the gem over their heads, smirking down at them and taunting them. It didn't take long before Asena was hot on the coyote's tail, but not to Vanamarilla's surprise, the coyote spirit took off running into the crowd. Vanamarilla took off after the two, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep up with either of them.

Vanamarilla cut through the crowd, stepping over civilians and maneuvering around the unsuspecting villagers who were caught up in their drama. She halted as Asena's voice became more audible, and looked over to see both spirit's engaged in some sort of scuffle. It was actually more like Asena was going to rip out the coyote's throat. No matter how much Aku deserved it, Vanamarilla couldn't let it go any further.

"Asena!" Vanamarilla yelled out, huffing and wide eyed. "Don't kill him. His death...is not needed." She took a deep breath, and shook her head during her pause. She moved closer, exhausted, but not too exhausted to give a disappointed look at the wolf spirit. Aku glanced at the pink haired elf, confused but relieved to still be alive. After a moment of silence, the coyote spirit smirked at Vanamarilla, before looking up at the vicious woman hovering over him.


"See? The little elf is right, you don't need to kill me. I'm much better to you alive than dead." Aku said, smiling sheepishly. He raised an eyebrow as a somewhat crazy idea popped into his head. "As a matter of fact, you should let me tag along with you. I could help keep the gem safe."

Vanamarilla lifted her brows in surprise. Had this little thief really just asked if he could come along after all he had put her through? It was his fault that the gem had been lost, and bringing him along seemed foolish. "No. We have spared your life once, now you're being greedy, coyote."

Aku frowned softly at the she-elf. He assumed Asena's answer wouldn't be much different, and he wasn't above begging. He had no family and longed for adventure beyond the forests. "Please, ladies. Everything earlier was just a mistake." Aku shifted smoothly into a small, brown coyote, effectively slipping out of the wolf spirit's grip. He leaped forward, causing Vanamarilla to scream, before he landed safely into her arms.

"Uh..." Vanamarilla was truly at a loss for words. Aku in his coyote form appeared much cuter, and much more friendly. She rubbed behind his ears, smiling into his big puppy dog eyes. "Well...He is just a pup, isn't he?"

 

[Saber]

"A mistake?" Asena couldn't believe her ears. "Pup? He's not a pup, Vanilla! He's a thief! All coyotes know is how to swindle people out of their valuables! You saw first hand! He took the shard and he certainly wasn't planning on giving it back if I hadn't caught him! Please don't tell me you're considering complying to his request?!"

The wolf was irate. Not only had the young spirit managed to talk his way out of getting the beating he deserved, now he was asking if he could travel with them? Why would Vanamarilla allow this? He was obviously untrustworthy and was just looking for another chance to swipe the shard from them. A low growl vibrated in Asena's chest as she glared at the small coyote pup in the she-elf's arms. He was trying to pander to Vanamarilla's soft side, how typical of a coyote to do whatever necessary to survive.

"If you wish to survive, coyote, I suggest you never lay eyes on us again." With that said, Asena stormed away, shoving a few humans out of her path as she did so. She was too angry to deal with Vanamarilla's decision. If the elf decided to bring the scallywag along, she wouldn't have much say about it. In the end, she realized that she didn't have much of a say in anything, other than where they travel. Her brow furrowed as she clenched her jaw. "I suppose I did subject myself to this." Asena said to herself as she finally stopped walking and found herself back in the forest.

The spirit stopped by a large oak tree and sat at its trunk. The tree wasn't that old, ten years maybe, and large enough to offer a good amount of shade for the sun that had finally decided to show itself. After the rain, the sun looked ethereal as the gold rays broke through the dark clouds. Asena sighed heavily as she closed her eyes and let her head rest back against the rough bark of the tree. She didn't need anyone else to look after, Vanamarilla was enough. The wolf couldn't even take care of her own pack when she had one.

"I can't take care of anyone else." A heavy frown marred Asena's face as she closed her eyes, folding her arms over her chest before giving into the exhaustion that was seeping through her bones. The fight with the spider demons, not to mention the adrenaline rush from chasing the coyote had drained her. She needed this break.

 

[envogue]

Vanamarilla's grip on Aku tightened just a little as Asena threatened Aku. She sighed, her shoulders tensing as Asena stormed off into the crowd. The anger from Asena was to be expected, after all she had shown herself to be quite the hothead on numerous occasions. It may have seemed foolish to guard the coyote spirit after everything they had gone through, but Aku was willing to help them, and he had apologized.

"That...woman." Vanamarilla muttered in Elvish, her expression souring briefly. She looked down at Aku, who even in his animal form managed to look concerned about the situation. Vanamarilla didn't want to admit it, but Asena may have had a point about bringing along a stranger. She owed Asena her life, and upsetting someone she was so deeply indebted to seemed unwise. It was difficult to hide the worry, but she somehow smiled through it. "Let's wait at the inn. She can meet us when she is ready." ​

~~~

An elf woman waltzing into an inn with a satchel full of geld and a small coyote in her arms was sure to draw the sort of attention that one would want to avoid. But the villagers seemed unfazed by her presence, and the female human working behind the bar didn't seem to want to give them any trouble. They were able to get a decent room for the night, more if they needed it. Vanamarilla unloaded the bag of groceries she had been carrying on her back and set it down on the bed, along with the supplies from the apothecary shop and Aku.

Aku shifted into his human form, followed by an unnaturally loud yawn as he stretched out his arms and legs. He moved some of the herbs and bandages around playfully. Vanamarilla glanced his way, crossing her arms. The coyote spirit lost some of his charm when he wasn't a cute pup. It was then that Vanamarilla was reminded of how she had nearly lost her life due to his antics.

"Hey, want some help wrapping those wounds?" Aku asked, sitting up on the bed. There was an eagerness in his eyes and a warm smile that made him appear innocent.

Vanamarilla looked around the room curiously, then stared blankly at Aku. The coyote spirit was up and on his feet with the bandages before Vanamarilla had the chance to answer him. His movements were speedy, just like in the cave when she hadn't even seen him take the gem from her. Somehow, Aku had managed to completely dress the wound in her shoulder and several cuts and scrapes in a matter of seconds. Vanamarilla's face suddenly burned red, and she stumbled backwards, away from Aku.

"Careful, careful! I put a lot of work into those. Probably my finest work," Aku joked, grabbing Vanamarilla by the arm gently. He ushered her to sit down on the bed, before taking a seat himself. "Not that I mind...seeing as how it's my fault you winded up down there in the first place." He said, a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "Those spider demons really took it easy on you it seems."

Vanamarilla shuddered as she was reminded of the spider-demons. Had she not known some magic she would have died a lot sooner down in the spiders' den. She shrugged lightly, the blush now a subtle pink on her tanned skin. "I'm grateful..." Vanamarilla replied softly. She leaned back, arms supporting her frame for several seconds before she collapsed backwards. It had been awhile since Vanamarilla was able to lie down on such a soft surface.​

 

[Saber]

Asena sighed as she woke from her nap. The air had gotten colder as the clouds moved over the sun once more, but at least it wasn't raining. The wolf finally sat up, stretching her arms up over her head and yawning loudly. Though the sun was blocked, the sky was still blue and the air was comfortable. So she folded her hands behind her head and rested back against the tree once more. She was still a bit bothered that there would be another spirit with them, a coyote, mainly. They were never to be trusted, at least that's what she had been taught since she was very young and witnessed it several times. Coyotes would always try and steal from her pack. Their food, their resources, sometimes even their young. That's why they couldn't be trusted.

"Thieves." The wolf muttered to herself as she retrieved the shard and held it up to the sky. It glinted brightly against the light and Asena sighed softly. . A small frown formed on her lips when she thought about Vanamarilla. Maybe traveling with her wasn't the best idea, maybe the shard wasn't worth it after all. She was better off being a lone wolf like before and not having to take responsibility for people Besides, it wasn't like the gem would guarantee she could rid the forest of the humans if she attained it. Perhaps just this shard would be enough? Besides, the elf had a different spirit to protect her now. What did she need Asena for? Not to mention she had the shard now.

The wolf stood finally and dusted the grass from her sari. She was sure Vanamarilla wouldn't miss her any, the elf was always complaining about her attitude anyway. With her energy restored, Asena fully intended on leaving and heading back home. At least there she could still protect the creatures that depended on her. As she was walking away from the tree, back towards the forest, she heard rustling and on instinct, jumped up into the tree. A flock of birds erupted from the trees as a couple fell. Asena narrowed her eyes when the spider demon, the same one that had tried to eat Vanamarilla emerged from the treeline.

Asena's eyes widened, the demon was badly injured, missing an arm and a few legs, but it was still alive. The spider lifted it's head and inhaled deeply, turning it's gaze to the village. It started charging towards the small settlement and Asena frowned. It must've been hunting Vanamarilla still. She glanced back towards the village and cursed. This wasn't how she wanted to spend the rest of her day. The wolf jumped down from the tree and began sprinting towards the spider demon. It must have noticed her, because as soon as she was in range, the demon kicked one of its legs out and hit Asena in the chest.

It all happened in slow motion as she was flying through the air. The shard slipped from under her arm band and went spiraling through the air. Asena tried to grab it, but it was too far out of her reach and landed at the spider's feet. The demon looked down at it before picking it up and the wolf hit the ground a good few hundred feet away. Her head was was spinning as she picked herself off of the ground and watched in horror as the demon examined the shard.

"Well, well, what do we have here, wolf?" The spider demon grinned before looking down at Asena. "A shard of Istladris? How fortunate."

How does she know...Asena didn't have time to think much more as the spider devoured the shard. "No!" The wolf sprinted forward, tapping into her power to move faster, but it was too late. There was a bright red light that emanated from the demon and the power caused a blast of energy that almost launched Asena back again.

The spider's body grew larger and legs regrew, as well as her arm, and large, sharp pincers erupted from her mouth. Eight red eyes sprouted on her head and she grew another set of arms. As if the demon wasn't formidable enough, now she was fully healed with extra limbs and extra teeth. Asena didn't even know if she got any other powers that would make her even harder to defeat.

"Now I won't have any problems finding that little elf." The demon roared before turning back towards the village. At this rate it was going to be decimated. Every step the demon took shook the ground and Asena wasn't going to be able to get ahead of to warn the people of the village. She didn't seem the have a choice in this matter.

Asena growled, falling forward on her hands and knees. She heard her bones start to break and reform as she grew. Her face elongated as her fangs grew sharp and large. Her shift was seamless, it always had been and she let out a long howl when it was complete. Even as her wolf, she was still only half the size of the demon in front of her, but she would still do more damage this way. She growled before sprinted forward, jumping up and grabbing onto one of the spider's legs with her jaws.

The demon shrieked as it looked down and bent down, knocking Asena off. The wolf yelped before recovering and snarling. She felt the heat building in her lungs as she opened her mouth and a blast of blue fire shot from her mouth. It engulfed the spider's leg and it screamed again. But Asena could already feel her power slipping. Her wolf was starting to take over and she couldn't stop her instincts as she squared off with the demon once more.

 

[envogue]

Aku hopped up off the bed when he felt the earth shaking. He looked around intensely, then at Vanamarilla, who appeared perplexed. He could feel a new energy coursing through the air, immense power not too far off from the village. What was that? He'd heard Vanamarilla say in Elvish. "Trouble..." Aku replied worriedly. There was a long howl off in the distance, and Aku glanced over at Vanamarilla, wondering if she had heard it too.

There was silence for a moment, and then the shaking began with no pauses in between. It was getting closer to them. Aku moved forward, and pushed the curtains back just a bit to peek out the window. His jaw clenched as a spider demon unlike any he had seen before burst through the treeline. Villagers stood in shock, before screams filled the air and people began to flee in fear. Brave men stepped forward with their weapons, but no one was daring enough to engage the beast.

The spider demon inhaled deep, taking in the various scents in the village. She knew the elf was there somewhere, she could still smell her blood. The spider demon scanned the area frantically, then when the men approached with their weapons drawn, she hissed. "You protect the she-elf? Tell me where she is, or I'll devour every single one of you!" An arrow went flying through the air and pierced the spider demon in it's abdomen, causing her to scream out in rage.

The demon charged forward, slapping an innocent bystander out of it's way, where their body flung into a kart. "I'll destroy all of you!" The spider demon laughed, as it rushed for the one who had fired off an arrow. It was just a teenage boy trying to protect his village, but the spider demon only saw a pest that needed to be exterminated. The boy turned to run, but the spider demon was much too fast. She extended one of her sixteen legs and swiped at him, hoping to grab and crush his puny body in her hands.

Aku had been watching from their room in the inn. He was a coyote spirit, and that meant avoiding confrontation if necessary. Yet, he couldn't just stand around while villagers were being slaughtered. Spider demons were ruthless and would eat anything with a pulse." Seems like you've got yourself a fan, Van." Aku said to Vanamarilla. The elf was still reeling from the fact that it had devoured Istladris and had come all of this way to finish her off. "Stay here, or you may wind up dead." Aku was gone before she could even say anything, but the thought of idly sitting by while innocents were killed didn't sit right with her, even if they were humans.

Aku was like the wind when he moved. He arrived just in time to push the boy out of the way, a chuckle escaping him as he saw the spider-demon's angry expression. "Not the way to a guy's heart," Aku said, grinning. The spider-demon swiped at Aku viciously, then paused as she caught a strong whiff of the elf's scent on him. They had recently been in contact, that much was obvious.

"It is not your heart I'm after, mutt." The spider demon replied, revealing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. "If you don't tell me where she is, I'll make sure there's not a single soul left in this village."

Aku gritted his teeth as he listened to the spider demon. He knew that with the shard devoured that the spider-demon could easily plow through every village in the country, and he alone wouldn't be strong enough to stop it. You sure know how to pick your enemies, elf... He thought to himself. The spider-demon suddenly lunged at Aku, which he scarcely dodged with a single back flip. He smirked at the spider-demon. He erupted into a puff of smoke and suddenly there were at least a dozen Aku's circling around the spider-demon.

The spider demon charged through the ring of Aku's and at the village men who had taken up arms against it. The village men attempted to scramble, and Aku saw that the spider-demon was going to kill them if given the chance. Aku rushed forward, prompting the spider-demon to make a swift turn around and snatch the coyote spirit up into one of her hands. She clutched him so tight that he was sure that his bones were breaking. Aku cried out in pain, his claws digging into the spider-demon's flesh as his bones cracked underneath the pressure.

"Leave them alone!" Vanamarilla shouted. Several flower shaped discs shot forward, hitting the spider-demon's hand in succession and severing it from it's body. Aku dropped down to the ground, landing on his feet, but soon falling to his knees. He looked up to see Vanamarilla standing off in the distance. The spider-demon seemed to take notice as well, though she didn't seem at all fazed by the loss of one of her sixteen arms now that Vanamarilla was there.

Vanamarilla stared off with the spider-demon. She was visibly out of breath and already feeling the effects of using her magic, but she wanted to appear strong in the face of danger. The she-elf has come out of hiding, I see. Come to sacrifice yourself? Vanamarilla heard the spider-demon say. "If you want me - You'll have to do better than that!" She replied in Elvish, sneering at the spider-demon. She turned on her heel and bolted into the forest, causing the spider-demon to scream out.

Vanamarilla didn't even need to look back to know that the spider-demon was chasing her, but she couldn't think of anything other than to get it away from the village as soon as possible. She shut her eyes, taking in and releasing air as efficiently as possible and pushing her legs as fast as they would go. She was nowhere near as fast as Asena or Aku, but Elves were known for being faster than humans. Still, with the spider-demons enormous size, it was easily able to gain on the elf. It swiped one of it's massive legs and struck Vanamarilla in the back, sending her flying forward into a clearing. She rolled along the ground for awhile, before her body hit a tree.

"No one here to save you, she-elf," The spider-demon taunted, running her tongue along the tips of her pearly whites. "I made sure there would be no interference this time."

Vanamarilla groaned as she got to her hands and knees. She looked up at the spider-demon, eyes widening at the possibility that the 'interference' was Asena. There was the sweet taste of blood in her mouth, and the wounds she had already sustained as well as the new ones were burning like fire. Vanamarilla forced herself to her feet, pointing a finger forward. "I won't...let you," Vanamarilla muttered, as her fingertips began to glow. The spider-demon made haste when it saw Vanamarilla about to attack, and shot a string of web at the elf. She threw herself out of the way and fired off her attack, several white orbs flying forward and striking the spider-demon in her chest.

The spider-demon, while injured, had enough power to move through the attack. Vanamarilla did not. It snatched up the elf by the arms, holding her high above her head and laughing loudly at the elf's pained expression.​

 

[Saber]

Asena growled as she was tossed back again, she was bleeding from her left shoulder from where the demon had bitten her, but she wasn't going to stop fighting. She bared her teeth again before lunging, but before the wolf could reach her target, the spider shot a string of web and it wrapped tightly around her legs and torso. It stopped her mid air and she hit the ground hard. Asena heard the spider cackle as it turned off towards the village.

"You won't get in my way again, wolf." The demon hiss as it left her where she fell. "If I'm still hungry, I'll come back for you." She snickered and it faded off as she trampled towards the village.

The spirit roared in frustration as she wiggled her legs, trying to free herself from the web, but with the demon's transformation, her web must've gotten more durable. Asena growled again as she struggled on her side, finally leaning down to gnaw at the web that bound her. Web shouldn't be this strong! Asena thought to herself as she chewed at the sticky strings. Her teeth had only made it past a thin layer of webbing before she growled again. She was running out of options. If she used her fire, it was possible she could injure herself since she didn't have the best control over it. But this wasn't the time to be cautious.

The wolf inhaled deeply, feeling the heat in her chest rise to her throat. She needed to try and control the flames so she wouldn't burn herself. Asena let the fire out slowly, in small bursts and she was relieved to see the web burning away. As she was about finished, she heard distant screams from the village that made her ears perk up. Asena wrenched her legs from from the binds and rolled to her feet, shaking off the rest of the web that was around her shoulders. She didn't waste any time bounding forward towards the village, her shoulder burning, but she tried to ignore it.

She could see the damage the demon was leaving behind as she reached the village. Some humans were tending to wounded as others were running for their lives out of the gates. "Wolf!" Asena turned towards the voice and growled when she saw Aku running towards her. "Th-that demon is after Van!" Aku was a bit out of breath as he reached and put a hand on her muzzle as he bent over, trying to catch her breath.

"Get off me!" Asena hissed as she shook her head and the young man stumbled forward. "Where is she?!" Aku just pointed towards the west end of the village and the spirit leapt forward, following the path of destruction. She could see the spider demon now, something white struck it, and it didn't seem to faze her much, but still did some damage. As Asena neared, she saw Vanamarilla dangling from the demon's hands. The spider hadn't noticed her yet and Asena growled deeply before firing all of her muscles to run faster. When she was close enough, she jumped into the air, jaws wide before they snapped down on the demon's forearms. She tasted the bitter taste of demon blood and shook her head to sever the arms from their master.

When she landed, the hands were still clasped around Vanamarilla and Asena set the arms down next to a nearby building. "You need to hide." She growled softly as she eyed the elf. "I will handle the spider." The wolf turned back to the demon who was screaming from the loss of her limbs and glaring daggers at the wolf. "Sorry about your arms, but you've got some spares I see."

The demon just shrieked as she charged at Asena and the wolf bared her teeth before meeting her in the air. Her teeth found the flesh on the spider's torso before she was hit on the back by the demon's extra arms. She couldn't stop the yelp that left her throat before she hit the ground and recovered just as a giant leg was about to crush her. Asena momentarily forgot about the damage she could do and exhaled a large breath of flame that hit the spider in the thorax, knocking her over. The blue flames were lingering on the spider's legs and Asena tried to take the opportunity to make the killing blow.

The wolf lunged forward, trying to find the spider's throat, but she was too late. A leg hit her hard in the face and knocked her back a few feet. She skidded on the dirt until she came to a stop near a stone well. Asena's head was spinning and throbbing, making it hard to focus or stand up. She wobbled to her feet, shaking her head before glaring at the spider who was doing the same. Asena felt something warm flow down her muzzle and then tasted copper in her mouth. The demon was doing more damage than the wolf had expected, but then again, it had a piece of the shard in it.

That was it, Vanamarilla could see the shard. If she could tell her where it was located, Asena could try to get it out of the demon. "Vanilla, I need you to find the shard in that demon!"

 

[envogue]

Vanamarilla hadn't been in the demon's hands long before a familiar silhouette appeared in the corner of her eye. She could hardly move her neck enough to take a glance, but there was no need. A second only passed before the demon was shrieking as her arms were severed from her body, and Vanamarilla was being carried through the air. Her head felt like it was spinning when they landed, but she was more than grateful to still be alive.

It took a bit of work, but Vanamarilla managed to pry herself free from the demon's clutches. As she was getting to her feet, she heard Asena's suggestion to go and hide. Before she could say anything, the wolf spirit had gone back into battle with the spider demon. Though her magic wasn't strong, Vanamarilla was determined to help. She did as Asena asked and focused on the spider-demon. If she didn't concentrate the glow of Istladris was too faint for her to see, especially in a large beast like the spider-demon. After a moment, Vanamarilla gasped as the faint glow of Istladris became more visible.

"In the esophagus, Asena! Go for the throat!" Vanamarilla yelled, pointing upwards at the exact spot. This motion seemed to infuriate the demon, as it narrowed it's eyes at Asena, who would no doubt be making an attempt at severing its head from its shoulders soon.

The demon moved so fast that it appeared like a blur. It seemed to plow straight through Asena, knocking her body out of the way with a shoulder charge. Vanamarilla scrambled for cover, but she was hardly fast enough. The spider demon had its hands around her waist in no time and whipped her through the air as it tossed her up. There was a resounding snap from somewhere in Vanamarilla's body, and she fell down into the spider demon's gaping maw. The spider demon's mouth clasped shut, its teeth fitting into place like a perfectly locked ivory cage.

Vanamarilla blacked out from the sheer force of the spider demon's throw. She awoke minutes later with a groan, her stomach twisting as she suddenly got a whiff of what could only be described as death. Vanamarilla recalled being tossed into the air, but everything else after that was a mystery.

"Asena? Where are you?" Vanamarilla called softly as she got to her feet. She turned slowly, noting that her feet were slowly starting to sink into the strange material underneath her. "What is-" Her thought process was interrupted as Istladris suddenly beckoned to her. It was close. Vanamarilla turned swiftly, a faint red glow emanating from deep within the cave. She raised her hand, a white light engulfing it and illuminating her surroundings. Her eyebrows raised and a look of disgust appeared on her face. As she came to realize where she was, the tongue beneath her feet started to dance, producing powerful waves that threatened to send her down its throat.

There was no where to hold onto, and Vanamarilla could hardly keep her footing. No matter how much she moved, she found herself at the back of the spider-demons mouth. She slid down the spider-demons throat on her stomach, screaming at the realization that she was about to be digested alive. Vanamarilla had nearly forgotten about Istladris, but the glow of the gem was brighter than before. She was much closer now, sliding down towards it. It was protruding out of the spider-demons throat, embedded in the delicate flesh.

Getting it now won't do any good...

With that thought in mind, Vanamarilla pointed her hand in the general location of the gem. A white, flower shaped disc shot forward, hitting the gem and sending it bursting through the spider demon's throat. She at least hoped it would reverse the spider-demon's transformation from the mammoth that it was now, but no such thing happened. If Asena was alive, it would be much weaker, at least. She could rest knowing that.​

 

[Saber]

Asena looked up to where Vanamarilla was pointing. In the esophagus? How was she going to get the shard from the demon's body? While the wolf was trying to figure out a plan of attack, she was hit in the side by the demon that charged her so hard that it knocked the air out of her lungs. Asena went flying and yelped when she slammed into a nearby building before skidding to a halt. Her world was spinning as she stayed there, gasping for air to fill her now empty lungs. Her ears were ringing and she faintly heard the roar of the demon and nothing else. She slowly rolled onto her stomach, legs shaking still and unable to stand quite yet. Her eyes began to focus and she looked around to try and find Vanamarilla.

"Vanilla?" Asena groaned as she shakily made her way to her feet. She couldn't see or smell the elf as her senses finally returned to normal and she shook her head get rid of the last of the spinning. "Vanamarilla!" Still no answer as the spirit's eyes scanned the destruction and debris. It wouldn't be that hard to pick out a pink haired elf, she'd stick out horribly in this mess. Suddenly she heard the demon cackle before licking its lips.

"She was delicious." The demon hissed as Asena's eyes widened and saw a lump in the demon's throat that was slowly moving downward. The wolf clenched her teeth and let out a low growl. The spider cackled again before trying to sling a shot of webbing at the wolf. "You can join her if you like!" Asena jumped back and fired a shot of blue fire from her mouth. It burned the spiders torso and lingered for a moment, but not long enough to do a lot of damage. It was possible that the spirit was going to lose this fight and it enraged her. She saw the lump move for a brief moment and Asena felt the fire in her body building.

"I suggest you spit her out before I tear you apart!" The wolf snarled as she dug her claws into the dirt beneath her feet. The spider-demon laughed heartily before baring her teeth. Asena growled again, she may not have enjoyed Vanamarilla too much, but the elf didn't deserve to go out that way.

"I'm afraid she's about to be digested." Asena couldn't control her rage anymore as she snarled and the fire that was usually contained in her chest engulfed her entire body. The demon took a half step back, surprised by the power she was feeling before the wolf lunged at her with an incredible speed. The wolf had never fully tapped into her power before due to her lack of control, but her anger made it hard to hold back. The demon dodged the best she could but still got burned by the fire that emanated from the spirit.

"Give her back!" A blast of fire left Asena's mouth as she fired three blasts of fire at the demon, much larger than she had before. The fire must've been weakening the demon as Asena kept attacking. She snarled again before jumping up and biting down hard on the demon's massive leg. The demon shrieked as it tried to swat the wolf away, but the shield of fire that surrounded Asena protected her to a certain degree.

While she was attacking the demon, it cried out as a shot of white flew from it's body and Asena paused to see the gem flying through the air. As she was watching the shard, the demon kicked hard and tossed the wolf aside. She was getting tired of being thrown to the ground by a lowly spider.

"Give it up, wolf." The demon hissed as it turned and smiled maliciously. "Your elf is dead and the gem is mine." Asena groaned as she looked around and saw the gem a few feet away. She knew the consequences of losing control of her power, but she wasn't thinking straight anymore. She needed to save Vanamarilla. She rolled onto her feet and took the gem into her mouth before swallowing it. The flames that were surrounding her flared out and Asena felt herself grow a bit taller.

Without the gem, the spider was much weaker and now that Asena had it, she was starting to lose control of her fire. She needed to get Vanamarilla out before she couldn't control herself anymore. Asena tensed her muscles and jumped with very little difficulty, to the demon's massive neck and began tearing at the flesh again below the lump of the spider's throat. She tore at the repulsive flesh until the spine was exposed. Her teeth sank into the bone and she yanked back once, detaching the vertebrae and tossing it to the ground. This was the only way Vanamarilla wouldn't be burned, if she was still alive at least.

The spirit stayed attached to what remained of the spider's body until it began to burn away into nothing. When there was nothing left, Asena felt her wolf start to take over her senses. She was panting hard and couldn't quench the flames that were surrounding her. Is this what her untapped power would be like? Would the gem just turn her into a mindless beast? Asena kept her head low as she fought for control, tried to hold on to her spirit, but it was slowly slipping away. She managed to catch her reflection in some broken glass and watched as her deep purple eye turned gold like the other.