Of Humans, Demons and Magic

At the reminder of how others like herself would certainly be out looking for the two of them, she nodded absentmindedly, trying to predict the order in which They sent out Their soldiers. If there was a pattern, then the next one to be sent out should be Saraphina. Even she would have a hard time locating their scents unless one of the hybrids happened to stumble directly over one of them. Greg would also be helping to bring her to them faster, should she pick up on his cries. Ashkara shrugged a shoulder non chalantly though at both of his comments. She didn't have a sword to fight against him with anymore, so earth would have to do. Technically speaking, she could have used water balls, but they would have taking longer to form, and ground had always been easier for her to manipulate. Probably inherited from whatever creature had been forced upon her when she was little.
Taking an orb into her hand, she swiftly threw it at the boy, feet still digging up more mounds of dirt to orbit around her.
 
Xenel dodged the earth orb, and moved away, looking at her, she had no sword and this hardly seemed fair to him, however, who was he to stop her from trying without a blade, he would slice at whatever orb's came next, for some reason, though, this reminded him of a game he had heard of called baseball.
 
Ashkara continued to toss the clumps of pebbles and dirt at the boy, watching carefully as he soon began to slice through almost every ball she threw with great accuracy, cutting evenly down their centers. This was clearly a futile attempt to try and end him, although what she defiantly refused to hint him in on, was the slowly growing lump of Earth far back behind him that was obscured by a cluster of trees. It was a time-consuming process, being that her mind and abilities were split between the immediate 'weapons' she had and the much larger one that was taking time to make, from both the distance as well as its size. Not even taking into account the pounding headache, either the first sign of a switch or a simple migraine from the night's stress thus far, she couldn't be sure.

Some hour's journey away from the Oasis, by means of normal walking, a girl who could have been all of only eight years old stood authoritatively before a pack of frothing hybrids. They were easily twice her size, even with them crouching down prostratingly to the ground, noses in the dirt. From afar, these creatures that were commonly found amongst government officials and acted as the modern-day bloodhounds, looked as repulsive as usual. However, on closer inspection, it was clear that with they were all dead, or undead. Large patches of their fur coats were missing, revealing gray, blistering flesh that oozed maggots and a yellowish slime of bacteria. Some were missing large portions of their face and had their insides trailing behind them as they walked. Amongst the half dozen of these creatures, one stood out as being the Alpha, standing a head taller than the rest. It was this one that a fiery red haired girl was glaring at, a pout her lips in displeasure of their progress.
 
Xenel sliced more through the orb's that she threw at him, eventually focused enough on a rythm yo now talk, "Hey," he said, "You know, this is kinda pointless, we'll both pass out from hunger or thirst before one of us actually get's hit." He chuckled a little bit, even as much as she wanted to kill him, he couldn't really take what she was doing seriously, however his palm's began to sweat, as well as a bit of exhaustion from the same routine.
 
A single drop of sweat crawled precariously down her back, leaving a trail of itchy moisture in its wake. Then another, and another, until her arm twitched every once and a while with the urge to reach up behind her and wipe away the discomfort, no matter how unconventional it would be for her to return to her fluid throws. She resisted though, that same part having to grudgingly admit to the truth in Xenel's words. Even if not aloud, then silently within herself. Her legs were, in all honesty, weakening to their unaccustomed excursional usage without any form of sustenance. This tiredness was another weakness of its own in two ways, with it only being a vantage point in one. A lack of physical strength would also cloud her mental state, leaving her more vulnerable to her other selves and a lost chance at overcoming the boy; should she collapsed, it would leave him with an unknown number of hours that he could use against her as she slept in order to flee; the only positive resulting if he lost consciousness first, leaving him unarmed for her to do as she pleases. She let out a pent up breath of air. "I dislike your being correct..." she grumbled, feeling her larger ball begin to slip away from her grasp of control. It began to crumble away into a pile of suffocating sand and mud, and although it released a weight from her mind to allow it to slip away from her, it did little to lessen the sleep that pulled at her eyes.
 
Xenel nodded a little bit, "Of course you do." He said slowly, watching Ashkara, and sighing a little bit, he sliced another of the ball's she would throw, "Anyway's why not .... end this ... charade." He was getting tired quickly, he panted slightly, his brow's furrowed, "Anyway's, why kill me truly, I have done you no ... wrong." He whispered.
 
She continued to throw the balls, but they were evidently becoming more breakable and the throws sluggish. How long had they been doing this? An hour or two maybe, possibly longer. Greg's cries had grown quieter, or perhaps it was her own hearing that was receding, and even the sobs of Karra have lessened to become only the occasional sniffle. A last clump was thrown, falling to the ground several feet in front of the boy as a pile of harmless dust, before the girl decided to sit. It wasn in resignation, she told herself, she just needed a small break. Yes, that was it. A break. Ashkara managed to bring forth at least some form of grace as she carefully lowered herself to the ground, only then realizing the burning waves of pain that washed up and down her arms. Her eyes shut for a second, bearing it until enough composure was available for her to speak. "It's not... something you've done..." she mumbled, eyes still shut. Hmm, it wouldn't be a sign of weakness to lie down, would it? No, no, she decided, that would be a... show of over confidence. Not exhaustion.

That was all her mind needed, just the gentlest of justifications for her actions, and she was lying down with her face to the dark sky, chest heaving lightly. "It's a precaution... Against what you might do... They don't like threats...and you're one of them. A threat... I mean." At that, she opened her emerald orbs and gazed up at the stars, attempting to return her breathing to a more regular rate. It didn't occur to her that should they have been fighting during the day, one of them would have certainly died from the heat already, and the cool mercy of the desert night had acted its part in stopping them from passing out sooner.
 
He nodded a little bit amd sat down himself, looking over to Greg, who was laying on the ground, Xenel's lip's trembled slightly at this sudden realization and he ran over past Ashkara to check on the crocodile man.

Unfortunately, it was too late, Greg's wound had been to one of his artery's, a pool of blood around his arm's, the yellowish hue of his eye's had gone down slightly, he came up to the sword and pulled it out of Greg's arm, a bit of blood popped out of the hole in Greg's arm, splashing Xenel in it, he cursed, kneeled down, and whimpered.
 
Her breathing mellowed out into slow, shallow breaths. Only inhaling every fifteen seconds or so in a method that had been taught to her not that long ago. Supposedly, it helps to preserve your life force, but she wouldn't be very willing to bet on that claim. She remained still as she felt the air stir unnaturally around her when the boy ran past towards his friend, pursing her lips together in anticipation. The silence had not been her imagination and she knew what he would find. A wash of guilt rippled through her at the squelching pop of her blade being removed from Greg's arm, a rise of bile coming to her throat. "Why are you doing this to me, Karra?" she demanded hotly, feeling equally hot tears to spring to her eyes. With a gasp, she seat straight up with her legs spread out in front with her arms acting as support beams for her back. Her eyes blinked rapidly to try and force the tears back from whence they came but to no avail; coming out more urgently with each forced return until they were running like twin rivers down her cheeks. 'Y-y-you d-deserve it...' the high voice countered bitterly. 'Even if I c-can't come ou-out, I'll mak-make you feel as I do unt-t-til you u-understand.' This ignited the rere spark of anger in the young woman, allowing her to openly damn her other self to hell, while she also began to use her wrists to vigorously swipe away the salty liquid. More shortly followed, along with an acidic tang that seemed to stretch from the pit of her stomach to the back of her throat.

It was soon realized what this feeling anticipated, and within several minutes she was bent over on all fours, retching forth a clear liquid that tasted of fire. "I hate you!" she spat, the very second she was able to take in an unsteady breath. A much wasted second, for in the next she was again puking the acid of her stomach, having nothing else to bring up. Her muscles still clenched though, sending waves of dry heaving through her until her arms quivered with nerves, much to her dismay. "Karra! Stop it!" she exclaimed, showing herself to her equally shaky legs. 'No!' the voice sobbed. Soon Ashkara was sobbing as well, her body becoming a mere exit point that was forced to portray the actions that the other would have done. Yes, she had seen this happen before. Yes, it was Karra's reaction to guilt. Yes, she would always leave the girl to act it out on her own, as she waited in the safe confines of the darkness. But no, she had never felt these things on her own. No, neither of the two had ever been able to force an emotion upon her before. And, no, she definitely didn't see why she deserved such a punishment! So she killed someone. So what?! Yet, exhaustion must have chipped away a piece of the shell that separated the conscious from those who were not, and now she was paying for that and much more that she didn't understand, nor was willing to try and understand.
 
Xenel looked at Ashkara, her blade covered in blood in his hand's, he stood up shakilly, and narrowed his eyes, his lips twitching still as he carried the blade over to her and dropped it onto the dirt, "I'm ready to really fight whenever your ready ..." he whispered as he walked past the vomiting and crying girl. He couldn't simply forgive her now, and this time, he truly was out for bood.
 
The sword clattered noiselessly by her side and her mind registered the boy's words, but her body remained unable to react. It was some minutes of quiet cursing and gagging before she seemed to gain any form of control over herself, immediately sitting back on to her haunches with her fingers tightly gripping her propped up knees. Her knuckles were white and shaking slightly but there was a fury in her blood shot eyes that was purely all her own. She stayed like that for a short while, then spat once into the sand to rid the flavor of insides from her mouth. It tasted faintly of blood. She did not dare to do so again though, unsure of how much fluid was still retained within her and not wanting to waste anymore on something so pointless as saliva.

It was with a shuddering breath that she pushed herself up into the standing position, and with yet another that she held out the palm of your hand towards her bloodied sword. It seemed to refuse whatever she was trying to do, shuddering spazmaticly and suspiciously sliding away from her outstretched hand. However, with a short click of irritation from her tongue, the hilt shut up from the ground and landed squarely in her palm with a wet sound. Courtesy of its blood drenched blade.

Standing now though, as she was, it may be quite believable that the girl was drunk in all appearances. Her clothes were disheveled with her decorative tie loose and one sleeve of her shirt half sliding down her forearm; her face was clearly flushed; her eyes held a look that, although they flashed with anger, also had the bearings of being not all that completely aware of their surroundings. To top it off, her sword with held with its point being subtly pressed into the ground. If her limbs had not been shaking earlier, it would have been hard to guess why she was doing so, but being as it were, it was to discreetly help her with her balance. Still, she managed to hold herself with a show of confidence as she followed after Xenel, taking a firm footed stance before him with both hands firmly clutching the haft. 'I hope he hurts you...' voice whispered, so dark and hateful that her eyes widened in surprise. Surely, that could not have been Karra... Right?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The ground had been shaking beneath them for many seconds, sending the hybrids racing back towards their young mistress with hackles raised high, froth pouring over their decaying lips. There was danger, and letting any befall her would lead them to an undeniable demise faster than one could snap their fingers. It would not be a painless experience either, they knew. Small Saraphina stood within the protective circle of her large, growling pets, feeling the earth tremble below her feet until it opened wide and a black abyss was shown, threatening to consume her and any nearby to the center of the world. The creatures scattered to escape the crumbling ground that lead to nothingness, unable to aid their mistress as she began to scream. Faster than any of the others could have reacted though, the largest of them sprang forward over the pit, head bent low as he jumped it and slid his muzzle between the girls legs, allowing her body to slide easily down his back. He landed on the other side with a deep rumble growing in his chest, head held high as he peered expectantly into the hole, backing away cautiously with the rest of his group.

The demon emerged moments later with moist sand billowing out around its glorious body, falling down like droplets of rain on to the desert floor. It soon followed it element in the descent, smashing its body violently to the ground with a thunderous boom in a shockwave great enough to send the sand again flying to the sky in preparation of an assault. Saraphina's eyes widened and her tiny mouth hung open at the display. Her hand tugged gently on the Alpha's fur coat in demand for his attention, being answered with a simple twitch of his ear. "I want it," she murmured urgently, raising a thumb to her lips in an age old habit. Then, before he could reply to this, her body instantly became cold as ice, eyes still staring ahead but no longer seeing as her soul travelled to the realm of Death in preparation of collecting this new soul.
 
Xenel stood silently waiting for the girl, and staring at his feet, when she finnally arrived he hardly even looked at her. The wind whistled in his ear's and he listened, for a moment he thought ge heard screaming, but he must have been mistaken. He looked at her, and his body twitched, tensing up, as he charged toward her, preparing to thrust tge blade through her heart.
 
Her breathing slowed and her heart rate quickened in anticipation, even with the other girl's hold over her receding with her own growing state of wakefulness. The bluntness of Xenel's assault mildly surprised her, and should he of had control over anything other than electricity, she would not have hesitated in risking the severance of her own hand to reach out and grab the blade with her bare hand. That way, her other would remain free to stab through the male. As it was, he did have power over such a force and she knew that attempting such a maneuver would instantly kill her. She would have to be very careful of touching him at all, for that matter. His blade came within an arms length of her chest before she moved, abruptly breaking from her stillness and crashing her metal against his. A small grunt of effort came from her as she pushed, swinging the swords away from her body in a wide arch above their heads, forcing both down on the opposite side before pulling back. She re-engaged a moment later, now on the offence as she feigned towards his neck and quickly switched to her true motive that was his legs.
 
Xenel gave several grunt's while engaging the girl in combat, his muscles still tense, it wasn't good, he would have rather had his motions fluid as they usually were. He blocked the swing to his head, then watched the way her muscles moved quickly, to discover it a ploy, and jumped before she could slice his legs.
 
Her blade was met with empty air where the boy had just been a moment ago, eyes widening in alarm. She had placed too much trust in that swing and stumbled forward slightly under the influence of her own weight. For only a.moment did she intend on reversing the pull so that she could stand upright, but went against it at the last second, allowing herself to fall towards the boy as if having lost her balance. This clumsiness was quickly replaced with a simple summer-sault that, when she completedit and was in a sitting position, led her flick her blade at the evidently closer legs of the boy. Even that small motion caused a headache to throb at the back of her skull. One that originated from dehydration and fatigue, and was enhanced by sudden movements that she was unaccustomed to making, such as rolling and spins.
 
She nicked Xenel's leg's and he let out a small gasp as she did so. Slicing at his right knee cap and his left femur. He fell hard, backwards onto the ground, but lifted his sword up slightly, so she could not deliver a killinh blow.
 
Ashkara felt heat spring to her eyes, less intense than before but undeniably from the same source as a warm tear ran down her cheek upon spotting the blood. Regardless though, it soon dripped out of sight and onto her shirt. With a quick movement, she flung her blade down towards Xenel's chest, shortly followed by an unexpected wave of pain that rippled up from her wrist to her shoulder when it clashed against his sword. Clenching her teeth, she drew her sword-arm back to her side and scuttled to her feet, attempting to gain an advantage in height, before again trying to strike his protected chest.
 
Xenel couldn't get up, he was trapped, he cursed as he blocked another strike from her blade, but not sure how much longer he could last in this condition.
 
Her slashes developed to become lazier and less forceful, or if they were equally forceful, then they jarred back against the defending blade, once or twice almost hitting her in the face. Her arms were already sore and tired from the long night and it was starting to become quite clear how much this was true. Still, she couldn't go back until this mission was over, couldn't sleep and could certainly not eat. Sleep... Ashkara's eyes flashed open wider than the almost closed state that they had been in for only a second. It was becoming dangerous for her to blink now, an urge to keep her lids shut for just a little longer each time she did so, growing stronger. What worried her most though, was how quiet the voices had become. Just as she thought this, a sensation like her flesh being scalded with boiling water consumed her backside, making her cry out and crouch down into a protective ball, arms wrapped tightly around her knees. The sword lay still beside her. This was not her memory of a sensation, but Ash's when They had decided to punish her for her own rebellious attempts at burning Them down. They had also made sure that only Ash had to experience the pain and had retained her from being able to switch personalities to avoid the slow healing process. Ashkara was silent and very still, silently screaming within her own mind.
 
Xenel backed up slightly, something truly was wrong with this girl, he picked up his sword and stood slowly, he should kill her here and now, he raised his blade, he couldn't though, unsure why, he threw the blade down in anger.
 
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